This Year
by Sensue
Summary: Complete. Sequel to Fast Forward. Ch. 12--Lindsey remembers something he wishes that he could forget.
1. October Nicky's POV

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Angel: the series or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer shows or characters. I do however own the characters of Cathy Lucy Angel and Nicholas (Nicky) Wood. No money is exchanging hands. Please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student without a dime. 

_Summary:_ This story is the sequel to Fast Forward. Connor has finally come back home after living in Quar'toth for ten years. Each chapter will focus on a separate character's point of view as Connor adjusts to being back home and living with his family. 

_Pairings_: Angel/Cordy, Faith/Wood, Fred/Wesley, Gunn/OC, Spike/Buffy, later on Connor/Dawn, Anya/Xander, Willow/Kennedy.

The song that inspired this story is This Year by Christina Aguilera. (Click to get the lyrics)

If you want to skip around to other chapters first you can, but they might not be up yet. I just put in the links in advance. They are all separate stories with different points of view.

Chapter One: October (Nicky's POV) 

Chapter Two: November (Lorne's POV)

Chapter Three: December (Faith's POV) will be x-over with Tru Calling.

Chapter Four: January (Connor's POV)

Chapter Five: February (Wesley's POV)

Chapter Six: March (Angel's POV)

Chapter Seven: April (Cordy's POV)

Chapter Eight: May (Spike's POV)

Chapter Nine: June (Fred's POV)

Chapter Ten: July (Robin's POV)

Chapter Eleven: August (Gunn's POV)

Chapter Twelve: September (Cathy's POV)

**This Year**

**By: Sensue**

Chapter One: October [_Nicky's POV. Written in Third Person]—__remember he's just five years old. _

_Hyperion Hotel (October 24)_

The beginning of the month was filled with pain and heartache over Connor's kidnapping. Everyone in the Hyperion had felt it. No one more than Nicholas Wood, or Nicky, as everyone called him. The five year old little boy could feel what others felt, no matter how hard they tried to act happy and unconcerned. 

He'd felt his mommy's sadness. His daddy's anger. His mommy Cordy was very upset all the time, but acted like she was "normal," doing the usual things like taking him and Cathy to the park and meeting his teachers for open house with his mommy. His daddy already knew his teachers because he works as a principal of the big kids' school, so he got to meet everyone in the district. 

Everyone was worried about Uncle Angel. He heard his mommy say that "he wasn't taking this well." Nicky guessed that to mean that his Uncle Angel felt sad and mad all the time. Sometimes Uncle Angel was so mad that he couldn't be around him or his head would start to hurt. One time his head hurt so badly, he couldn't stop crying. His daddy took him away and told him it was okay. That Uncle Angel didn't mean it. He was just 'grieving' over Connor. He told his daddy and mommy that he didn't want to play with him anymore because he always yelled at him and Cathy. He didn't like that, Uncle Angel wasn't fun anymore. He didn't even smile at him anymore. He even forgot about his birthday. He knew that Uncle Angel didn't mean to forget his birthday, but he still did.

Mommy Cordy was afraid too. Nicky didn't want her to be. He just wanted his happy family back. So, that night, he pretended to sleep when he was supposed to, but instead went to the window to look for a shooting star, to wish upon. It took a long time because every time he thought he saw one, it turned out to be an airplane, but after forty minutes he saw a real shooting star. He wished for everyone to be happy; as an afterthought he also wished that Connor could come back. After he made his wish, he snuck downstairs to see if it worked. 

It was lucky that he did because Mommy Cordy told everybody that they were going to go on vacation. Not only was she smiling, but she laughed too. So did Uncle Angel and everyone else. Everyone was happy again. His wish worked. Thinking, _If_ my one wish worked, then my wish that Connor'll come home should come true too. _He was so excited. Finally, he was going to get his best friend and brother back along with a happy family. He just knew that Connor was going to come back. He had to._

Next week was Halloween so Connor could help him with his costume and tell him which houses had the best candy. Nicky had already decided he was going to be a Power Ranger this year. Connor wanted to be a ninja and Cathy was going to be a Princess, AGAIN. She always was a princess. 

While he was planning for Connor's return, a swirling windy thing opened in the middle of the lobby. His first thought was that it was Connor, but instead a furry monster fell out of it. Uncle Lorne took him and Cathy so that they could hide under the desk. He was scared and so was Cathy. Uncle Lorne whispered that they were going to be okay; that their mommies and daddies would protect them all. He listened quietly under the desk. He heard his Uncle Gunn swear a bad word and heard his Mommy Cordy say Connor's name. 

It was Connor. _Well, maybe he was already dressed up for Halloween. Maybe he doesn't want to be a ninja anymore_, Nicky thought. Uncle Lorne said that it was okay now, so they got up. Nicky caught his first sight of Connor in months. _Wow. He's big. I wanna be big, too. _That's not fair_._

He was going to run up to Connor and hug him, but then Connor yelled and pulled out a knife. He was going to kill Uncle Lorne! Panic set in and he and Cathy ran to their mommies. All Nicky felt in those few moments was scared. _This wasn't Connor, was it_? _Connor wouldn't hurt Uncle Lorne. He loves Uncle Lorne_.

Then his mommy took him and Cathy upstairs. "But, mommy. I wanna play with Connor. I don't wanna go upstairs. I wanna show him my new book and the car that daddy bought me for my birthday three days ago."

"Nicky, be good. I know you want to play with Connor, but he's a little confused because he doesn't remember anyone yet. Give him some time and then I promise that you can play with him. Okay?"

Nicky wanted to be a good boy for his mommy so he listened to her and played, reluctantly, with Cathy and her Barbie's. What seemed, to a five year old, like a very long time later, they were taken downstairs to say hello to Connor. 

When he saw his brother, he ran up to him and gave him the biggest hug in the world. Then he told Connor how much he missed him. And how he was sorry that he couldn't help him fight the bad guys who took him. 

Connor didn't seem to know what to say. He just held his brother, remembering all of the fun times that they had together and wishing that he could have seen him grow up with them as a family. Nicky wiped at his eyes, _it's__ okay now, Connor's back and we're going to have lots of fun. It doesn't even matter that he missed my birthday party, 'cause he's my real present. _

After that hard first meeting, Connor adapted to living with his family. He needed lots of attention and love, but Nicky didn't care that Mommy Cordy was always busy with Connor. He knew—no, he felt that Connor was scared if she wasn't with him. He wanted his mommy and that was something that Nicky understood. 

The one thing that Nicky couldn't believe was that he and Cathy STILL had to go to school. That wasn't fair because Connor didn't have to go to school. Cathy tried to sweet talk her daddy into letting them stay home, but Mommy Cordy caught her and said "no-way!" even though Uncle Angel was getting ready to say yes. Mommy Cordy shook her head at him and called him a 'pushover', _I don't know what that means, but Uncle Angel turned really red at that_, Nicky thought.

It was so exciting that Connor was back. Everyone wanted to welcome him back home, even Uncle Lorne. Nicky was also excited over the Halloween Party and Haunted House that they were going to make. Uncle Angel and Uncle Spike decided that the Hyperion was big enough to host a party this year, especially now that they had something to celebrate. My mommy even suggested that it could be both a Halloween party and a welcome home party. She laughed at Connor and told him he could wear the furry monster outfit that he wore when he came, no one would know who he was. 

My daddy wasn't as excited as everybody else. He said that Halloween was the worst holiday in school. His students go wild and spray everything with silly string and paint and even throw toilet paper on the trees. Daddy said that last year some stupid teenaged boys went into the bus garage, _that's where the busses go to sleep after they picked everybody up and dropped them off at home_, and cut all the tires. That costs lots of money and the boys even went to jail. _I don't like jail, Nicky thought, __it's scary there. Every time mommy thinks about it, she feels scared and alone. I don't want her to ever go to jail again. I want her to stay with me and daddy and all the Uncles and Aunts forever. _

So Uncle Angel and Uncle Spike decorated the inside of the hotel for the party. They fought over lots of stuff. Usually Aunt Fred had to smack them on the head to get them to stop. Uncle Charlie got to put up the lights and scary things outside with Uncle Wes's help. They even put up a coffin with a FAKE body inside of it and skeletons. 

Connor thought that this was weird. He was confused as to why everyone was excited over death. Death was the enemy of survival. That's when Cathy pulled him aside and told him that Halloween was just a fun holiday in which kids got to dress up and pretend that they were other people or monsters to get LOTS of candy. The more candy the better. 

It took three days before the decorating was finished. The Hyperion looked really spooky. It was great. There were pretend spider webs everywhere with spiders crawling on them. There were lots of things that jumped at you if you weren't looking, like the skeleton in the closet. _Daddy thought of putting in that one, after he got into the Halloween spirit. He even decided to invite some of his 'best' and 'worst' students to the party. The best ones were invited to come over on "Beggar's Night", the night before Halloween in order to set up some scary tricks for the bad kids that were coming over on Halloween. Daddy said that it would teach them a lesson they would never forget. _I think that it's going to be funny.__

Everybody had to have a costume, too. Everyone, except Nicky and Cathy, kept their costumes a secret until Halloween night. Even Connor found a costume. His mommy was trying to find out what it was, but he smiled and told her that she'd see later. Mommy Cordy looked nervous. She even told Aunt Fred that she just hoped he wasn't wearing his 'birthday suit' to the party. Nicky heard her say that so he walked up to her and said, "Mommy Cordy, Connor doesn't have a birthday suit. He missed my birthday party, remember?"

They both patted my head and laughed. "Yes, sweetie, we remember."

So FINALLY, it was Halloween. Cathy and Nicky went to school in their costumes and as planned, Nicky was a Power Ranger, The Red Ranger to be exact, and Cathy was Princess Jasmine of Aladdin. School that day wasn't productive in terms of learning anything besides, non-scary ghost stories. 

Everyone in their class got a chance to tell a ghost story of their own. Cathy was excited. As far as they knew, they were the only one's in the class who KNEW a ghost for real. Uncle Phantom Dennis had lived with Mommy Cordy for a long time. They were roommates. After Mommy Cordy and Uncle Angel got married though, she started living at the Hyperion with her husband. She felt really bad about leaving Uncle Phantom Dennis by himself, but he wrote her a message saying that as long as she was happy and came to visit at least once a month, he'd keep their apartment safe and tenant free. Mommy Cordy kept her promise and every Saturday morning she came over with things that Dennis liked and visited with him. Usually, Cathy, Nicky and Connor, when he was littler, came to visit with her. Dennis loved the kids and always played with them. 

Now Angel Investigations uses that apartment as a safe-house. If they needed to, they could also use it for when company comes over. Sometimes when Mr. Giles comes over to visit with Uncle Wesley, he stays with Dennis, so he could have some privacy. But only people who Uncle Phantom Dennis liked could stay with him, or he'd kick them out of his apartment. 

So, when it came to Cathy and Nicky's turn to tell a ghost story, they didn't understand why the other kids laughed at them or why the teacher shook her head and thought they were 'cute'. They really did know a real ghost, and his name is Phantom Dennis. No one believed their story. It was a disappointment because it was a really good story about how Dennis' mother put him in the wall because he was going to leave her.

After the sugar filled lunch of candy all of the kids were given, they were sent home to their parents. They were bouncing off the walls. But it was time for fun. _Trick or Treat_ _time_. 

Before they went door to door in the traditional, ring the doorbell and scream, trick or treat, manner, Cathy and Nicky were instructed to finish ALL of their homework by both their mommies and daddies. There was no way of getting out of that one. While they did their homework, the grownups started to get ready and put on their costumes. 

Uncle Lorne, since he was already "in" costume made them all a quick dinner of Kraft macaroni and cheese. After the quick and hearty meal, the kids were ready to party.

Soon the adults walked down the stairs in their costumes.

Connor was ready first, having spent countless hours on trying to decide what he wanted to be for this 'Halloween' thing. He came down the stairs dressed like Uncle Angel. He even put on hair gel and made his hair spike up. He took Uncle Angel's cloths and his favorite jacket. When Uncle Angel saw him he was shocked. He couldn't believe how much his son looked like him. After he got over that shock, he complained endlessly that "my hair doesn't look like that. Cordy, tell him, that my hair doesn't stick up like that." She just shook her head, "Cordy, It doesn't. My hair is COOL. It doesn't look like that. I don't look like that. Do I really look like that? 'Cause I, just a little, mind you, look _a little gay. Do I look gay to you, Cordy?" The headshaking turned to laughter. [****__I hope I don't offend anyone with this. I just thought it was funny. ~Sensue]_

Uncle Angel frowned. He sat on the table and brooded. "Stop, laughing. I don't look gay. If I did look gay, why didn't you tell me? You're my wife; you're supposed to tell me. It's not like I can look in a mirror or anything." He continued to look depressed. It was quite a sight. Batman, sitting on a chair, looking depressed, in black tights. 

Uncle Spike walked down the stairs just in time to catch the last part, "Why, grandpa. I've been telling you that you looked like a big poof since I first met you. I don't know why you're acting all surprised now." He was wearing exactly what he wore everyday. His red shirt with his leather duster and black jeans. The only thing that had changed was his hair color. He sprayed it with a dark brown temporary color that many people used for costumes.

"Hey. You're supposed to be in costume, William. That's not a costume! You just, not even dyed it; you sprayed your hair brown. That's not a costume." Cordy scolded. It was no fair that she and Angel had to dress like superheroes: Angel as Batman ™, while she had to wear a very tight Wonder Woman ™ uniform. "Lorne put in more thought and effort than you and all he did was wear flashier clothes than normal."

"Princess, I am wearing a costume. I'm James Dean. Can't you tell? I'm a rebel." He said this with a smile.

"Yeah, Spike, You just keep thinking that," Faith said jokingly, as she came down dressed revealingly like Poison Ivy, a female villain in the movie Batman and Robin. Cordy helped her with the face paints and foliage. There were roots and vines drawn on her everywhere and plastic leaves pasted on her hands and body in various places. Nicky's daddy came down dressed like a clown, specifically like the Joker, who was Batman's main nemesis. He didn't even have to buy anything. He asked Lorne if he could borrow his purple and green suit. It fit him really well. The only thing that he bought was the face paints and a green wig. 

Aunt Fred came down wearing a robe over her costume. Nicky laughed as everyone encouraged her to take it off so they could see her costume. She would shake her head and cover up even more. "Oh, come on Fred. It can't possibly be worse than mine. I'm practically naked. All I can say is at least we're in California. If we were anywhere else my as—leaves would freeze off." 

After a few more minutes of haggling and urging, the robe was removed to reveal Batman's female partner in the fight for justice, Batgirl. Poor Fred had turned red as her costume was revealed. It really was skin tight. "I'm not bending down. At all. Nope, I'm not doing that," Fred muttered. Angel just nodded, still moping at the table.

The others stared at her, blushing as well until they were distracted by Wesley coming down the stairs. The cat calls and whistles almost caused him to go running back up the stairs. Fred stopped him though, by reminding him that he agreed that if she wore her Batgirl costume, he'd wear the Robin, 'Boy Wonder' costume that represented Batman's sidekick. Even Angel brightened up, thinking that Wesley's costume was worse than his.

So both Wesley and Fred were beet red, Fred hiding behind Wesley as they all laughed at their costumes. Soon after that the door opened to reveal Charles Gunn and his new girlfriend, Andrea Schow walked in dressed like Penguin and Catwoman, respectively. Right then and there, it was decided unanimously that they were NEVER going to dress up like superheroes, especially the ones with revealing costumes.

So Wonder Woman and Poison Ivy took Angel, Jr., the Red Ranger and Princess Jasmine trick or treating around the neighborhood for a couple of hours until the sun went down and the real party started. The kids, even Connor, ran to each house for candy. They were instructed not to eat any candy until it was checked, as usual safety precautions for the season. The kids ran into their friends in the neighborhood and chattered with them until it was time to go home and get ready for the party.

As they reentered their home, they were surprised to feel the entire mood change. It was no longer their home, but a haunted house, full of scary and freaky things. Cathy and Nicky's friends, along with their parents, came to the party. Angel Investigations former happy clients were also invited to the party along with any informants and/or demon friends that they had. It was Halloween. No one needed to know that they were real demons, right?

What was really a surprise though, was Connor. He actually smiled, and had tons of fun. He even danced and made fun of his daddy by singing "Mandy" by Barry Manillo like Connor had caught him in the shower. Uncle Angel would reach over and mess up his hair, saying once again, that his hair did not look like that. His hair was cooler.

Nicky thought_, this is it. This was my wish and it came true. My family is happy now. My birthday wish came true. __Next month is Connor's birthday (Nov 19th) and I hope that his birthday wish comes true too._

The End (of October anyway)

How'd you like it? It was really, really hard to write as a five year old and it didn't come out as well as I wanted but once I got into the Halloween Party part, it started flowing. 

_Coming soon is November. Stay tuned and see what Lorne thinks about the Thanksgiving season_.


	2. November Lorne's POV

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Angel: the series or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer shows or characters. I do however own the characters of Cathy Lucy Angel and Nicholas (Nicky) Wood. No money is exchanging hands. Please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student without a dime. 

_Summary:_ This story is the sequel to Fast Forward. Connor has finally come back home after living in Quar'toth for ten years. Each chapter will focus on a separate character's point of view as Connor adjusts to being back home and living with his family. 

_Pairings_: Angel/Cordy, Faith/Wood, Fred/Wesley, Gunn/OC, Spike/Buffy, later on Connor/Dawn, Anya/Xander, Willow/Kennedy.

The song that inspired this story is This Year by Christina Aguilera. (Click to get the lyrics)

If you want to skip around to other chapters first you can, but they might not be up yet. I just put in the links in advance. They are all separate stories with different points of view.

_PS—I tried on the first chapter to keep it in third person POV, but it was too hard so I switched it to first person. Hopefully it should go a little better than October. Please be patient, it takes time to write these stories._

**This Year**

**By: Sensue**

**Chapter Two: November (Lorne's POV, first person—he's telling the story)**

We'll crumb cakes, has this been a weird and wacky trip. I mean, one minute Angel and Cordy's son is a little nipper who looks a lot like dear old dad, the next day he's as tall as I am. And doesn't he have quite the attitude problem: I mean come on; I was raised in a Hell Dimension too. At least I don't act like that. Well at least he isn't cutting my head off like he did when he first arrived.

I think that the little talk the princess had with him really helped; either that or she used her glow-y power on him and made him see the light, this time literally. His aura changed. It was no longer jagged and rough looking, but smooth, more flowing. He seemed calmer afterwards. Peaceful and serene, but only near his mother. He still was wary of the rest of us. It's understandable; we're strangers who he doesn't really remember, except in flashes of memories. 

The other little nippers were so excited to see big brother again. They weren't afraid of him or anything. They just wanted to play with him and act like they always had. I think that that was what Connor needed. To feel comfortable and loved. And to be a 'normal' teenager for a little while. 

Halloween was great. It was so much fun. We all got into the superhero spirit this holiday season. Trust me, you wish that you were there, if only to see Angel in a Batman costume. Woowie those pecks. And don't forget Wesley. Adam West has nothing on Wesley Wyndham-Pryce.

That was some party. I wish we could do it more often. Hey! We can. Connor's birthday is on the 19th of this month. We could give him a birthday party the world has never seen. Legally the kid is only eight years old, while in actuality the time/space continuum Star Trek stuff made him eighteen years old instead. 

I talked to the Princess about a party for Angelcake's Jr., she agreed that it would be a wonderful idea, but she didn't want to invite too many people…She said that it was going to be hard to explain how her kidnapped son appeared a few months later a teenager, without having people she didn't know or trust at his party. 

I agreed to help decorate the Hyperion of the occasion. I even invited Claude, my bartender to keep the drinks rolling. At least he finally learned how to make a descent Sea Breeze. 

The kid was enjoying the party, that's what I thought anyway until he ran away. Angelcakes and the Princess were frantic. They asked everyone to look for him. Faith and Robin went to all of the teenage hangouts to try to find him, while Freddy and Wes looked near the hotel. Angel took his car and tried to sniff him out. The Princess stayed with Nicky and Cat, while she waited by the phone for news. Spike went out on his own, trying to think of where the troubled teenager would run to.

It was Spike who ended up finding the brat. He came in with his head down and his tail between his legs, that was figurative, of course. Spike had to have lectured him within an inch of his life, because the kid was really sorry for scaring his parents. Cordy was right. It was too much too soon. He still didn't understand this world and its weird and wacky customs. For example, setting a cake on fire.

The princess called a family meeting that night. All were invited. She put forth a motion to cancel the Thanksgiving party, so not to overwhelm Connor. It was voted Nay. 

As Gunn said, "there's no way in Hell, we're missing out on all that food for the kid. No matter how much he thinks it's different."

"Okay, well, I know we talked about inviting Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander and the rest of the girls for Thanksgiving dinner, but how about we push the big invite to Christmas or New Years and just have a family dinner. Just all of us?" Fred suggested. She wanted Connor to feel welcome as well. It was strange but in a way, Freddykins acted like Connor's second mother. Wesley put his arm around her shoulders and agreed with her. 

Well, well, well, what do we have here? Wesley and Fred were getting awfully close for just friends. Actually reminds me of Angel and Cordy before, with my help, of course, they realized they loved each other. Those two crazy love birds have more Kyerumption than two cows in a barn. Maybe one day, we'll be celebrating another happy occasion. I should help those two along. The problem becomes how, without them knowing what I'm doing.

So, a quiet family Thanksgiving dinner is just what this family needs to get the holiday started properly. The princess called Buffy and told her that she was sorry to cancel Thanksgiving dinner on them, instead offering Christmas as an alternate date for a get-together. Buffy had to decline that invitation. It seems the Slayers were having some sort of an initiation dinner party or something like that. Cordy countered by offering New Years instead. She said that she'd even have a picnic instead of a fancy dinner, if they wanted to. That invitation was accepted and "thank you's" were exchanged. 

Now I had to develop my plan. How was I going to get Fred and Wesley closer as a couple? Playing matchmaker is my favorite sport. I especially liked how I introduced Gunn to Andrea. They all had no idea that I was the one who sent the girl to Angel Investigations to begin with. I just knew that Gunn would like her. And it worked; the two are crazy about each other. I expect that he'll think that she's "the one" soon.  They certainly spend enough time together. 

That's why when I eavesdropped on them two nights ago, my plan had begun to form. I heard them both talking about a Thanksgiving blessing that they could chant before dinner. It was supposed to protect the house from evil spirits for that night. Sort of a reprieve of danger for only one evening. The way they were talking about it, it seemed that the spell would work without a hitch. So what did I do? I encouraged them to work on it together. As a sort of surprise for the others during dinner. 

No one else even gave a second thought to the two huddled together in the office. They thought it was normal for the nerds in the house to work on something. Cordy had a twinkling smile on her face when she looked at them, so I guess she had the same idea that I had. I caught up to her later and asked her what she knew. She said jokingly, "I see all, I know all. I was a higher being, remember."

She cornered me into telling her what my plan was though. I did tell her. Then we both giggled at ourselves. Here we are, manipulating other people into falling in love…oh well, a thousand Hail Mary's and all that. We'll be forgiven. After all, love is all we need. Gotta love John Lennin.

Angelcake's and Spike were busy in the kitchen fighting over whose stuffing was the best tasting, while the turkey cooked. Faith sat in the kitchen soaking up the different yummy smells, while the kids sat in the living room watching a "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special" on TV. Connor helped his mom set the table, while I, I setup operation "Get'em Together."

First I helped Cordy setup the dinner table, so that Fred and Wesley and Gunn and Andrea were sitting together. Gunn and Andrea were my secondary targets because I already got them together; I just needed them to get to the next step in the relationship, like marriage, or at the very least, officially 'going steady.' 

I also setup the most romantic dinner music anyone could ever have, the Sting collection of famous love songs. You gotta love that man; he could sing a great love song. 

When it was finally time for dinner, everyone sat down, gave a small blessing and wish for the future and then it was Fred's turn to intrupt. Now remember, Cordy and I were the only ones who knew what the plan was, the others were surprised to say the least to see Wesley and Fred holding hands and chanting. I was getting excited, there's nothing better than a great plan going right. 

I spoke too soon. The chanting cuased this really big light to form in the middle of the dinner table. It was getting too close to the turkey for anyone's taste. Now there's no way that I'm going to let that light thing EAT our turkey or anything, so I jumped up and tried to stop it from touching the turkey. I swear, I was just trying to save our dinner. I don't know why the thing fought back and attacked me. YES, the light ATTACKED ME! All of a sudden, Wesley and Fred stopped chanting. The light was surrounding me. It was swirling round and round, making me dizzy. 

They both ran into the office to see if they could stop it. Wesley and Fred fought over a book then said something. I don't even think they knew what they said. The swirl light stopped where it was and then sort of exploded blue gunk on me. The kids started laughing. And I saw the Princess smirk at me. 

I ran to the bathroom to wash it off, but it was making it worse. Fred knocked on the door, asking me if I was okay. That's a joke! I'm turning blue and she's asking me if I was okay. 

I came out a short while later, my skin completely, from head to toe now, blue. The others looked at me with wide eyes, Faith swearing softly under her breath, all the while trying to keep from laughing out loud. Robin, who was beside her looked at her and that was what set them all off. 

Soon everyone, including my former friend Spike, who I thought was on my side of things, were laughing hysterically at poor blue me. I was really blue now. Emotionally I mean. Hey, no puns out of the peanut gallery.

What really surprised me was that Fred and Wesley were hugging each other and laughing. It looked like they were going to fall down on the floor laughing, if they let go of each other. When they all had stopped laughing, probably seeing my unhappy, non-laughing face, the couple was holding hands and sitting next to each other again. Probably playing footsy under the table and all that. 

Never did they thank me for getting them closer together, at my expense mind you. Oh, well, I'd do anything for love. But I won't do that…again.

Later that week, the phone rang. At first, we thought it was well wishers for the holiday. A young lady named Tru was asking to speak to Faith. Faith stood up quickly and then took the phone call to another room. That was weird. Most of the time if the phone rang; you just answered it where you stood. Privacy wasn't an issue, we are all family. Your business is our business type stuff. When she came back out, she seemed upset, but didn't want to talk about it. Robin tried to talk to her, but she got mad and started yelling at him to leave her the hell alone and that it wasn't his business. 

Whatever the call was about, it wasn't a good one. The only thing that we can do now is support her. I just hope that this secret doesn't hurt her as much as the last one did. She's got to learn to trust us. We love her. We're her family. And that's the way it'll stay.

_The End_ (November)

How're you liking it so far…Let me know, please. It helps me to write it a little faster. 

Next chapter… December (Faith's POV and Tru Calling x-over.)


	3. December Part I Faith's POV

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Angel: the series or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer shows or characters. I do however own the characters of Cathy Lucy Angel and Nicholas (Nicky) Wood. No money is exchanging hands. Please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student without a dime. 

_Summary:_ This story is the sequel to Fast Forward. Connor has finally come back home after living in Quar'toth for ten years. Each chapter will focus on a separate character's point of view as Connor adjusts to being back home and living with his family. 

_Pairings_: Angel/Cordy, Faith/Wood, Fred/Wesley, Gunn/OC, Spike/Buffy, later on Connor/Dawn, Anya/Xander, Willow/Kennedy.

The song that inspired this story is This Year by Christina Aguilera. (Click to get the lyrics)

If you want to skip around to other chapters first you can, but they might not be up yet. I just put in the links in advance. They are all separate stories with different points of view.

_Rating_: PG-13 to R for Language. Mostly the F word. I use some other bad language, but nothing you probably haven't heard anywhere else.

_PS—I have tried really hard to figure out WHAT city Tru Calling takes place in. I think it's either __San Francisco__ or __New York City__. I'm leaning towards __New York__, though. In all honesty, it could probably be ANY _United States___ city…All cities have those kinds of buildings somewhere. But for this story, I'm going to say that Tru and her family live in __San Francisco__, just to keep it all in __California__, so they can drive there, instead of fly. I don't know if I want to take Faith all the way across the country. If anyone knows for sure, email me…I'll change it, but for now, I'm just going to stick to __San Francisco__._

**This Year**

**By: Sensue**

**Chapter Three: December. **PartI**.**** (Faith's POV) x-over with Tru Calling**

****NOTE: I messed up in Fast Forward Chapter 7: Huh? I wrote that Tru's mother's name was Louise; It's not, It's Elise Laura. Sorry. Also I can tell already, this is going to be one long chapter…**

**I could probably write it separately, but I won't. ****

Thanksgiving this year was five by five. Hell, it was awesome. I just couldn't believe Wesley and Fred turned Lorne Fucking Blue. At least, it wasn't baby blue or robin's eggshell blue. When Robin and I saw him, we couldn't help ourselves, we almost peed in our pants laughing so hard. 

And boy, are Fred and Wes going to get it on! I mean, even I could see it. 

The entire week was perfect, that was until Tru called me. Shit, that was my first thought, my half-sister is calling me. My other thoughts included: How the hell did she find me? Are Harrison and Meredith okay? Whey is she calling me? What does she want? 

I picked up the phone reluctantly, "Hello, this is Faith." I answered it this way on purpose. Let her ask me first. It's easier this way.

The voice that spoke on the other end sounded extremely similar to my voice, but I had gotten used to that. Even though we had different mothers and I was older by a few years, we looked almost like twins. As children, we would have fun pretending to be the other. That was, until I got the tattoos. "Faith, um. It's Tru. I can't believe I found you. I mean, the last I heard you were in—it doesn't matter. Um, Listen, I really need your help. Meredith needs your help, so does Harrison. I can't do it all by myself anymore. I feel so alone. I need you, I need my big sister. God, I can't believe how desperate I'm coming off, but I am. Desperate, I mean."

"Tru," I answered, not believing that my sister was practically crying on the phone. She was always the strong one in the family. I mean, she watched her mom die, in her arms and still she didn't cry. Even at the funeral, she knew that everything would be okay. "God, I haven't seen or talked to you in almost seven years. What are you talking about?"

"Listen, Faith, I need you to come home. I really need you here, in San Francisco. I'll explain more when you arrive."

"No. You need to listen to me, Tru. God, you don't know anything about me. I'm married now. I have a five year old little boy. I can't just leave them because you asked me to. I have a job, a boss; I can't just leave. I do have responsibilities here. Now, either you tell me what's going on or leave me alone!" 

She answered back. "I can't get into it now, Faith. I'm sort of at work right now. I don't have time; I have to stop someone from di—doing something really bad. Ok. How about I give you my phone number and you can call me back when you get a chance? I work at the City Morgue now; the number is 555-4177. I also have a cell phone; the number is 555-8262. Please, Faith, call me back. I really need you here. Bye." 

Well, shit. She has to call me and ask for my help. God! Why me? Tru never needed my help, she never needs anyone. They always seem to do this to me. I have to drop everything for 'my family'. Especially my half-brother, Harrison, and half-sister, Meredith. They hated me. I was the black sheep of the family. The problem was that they knew that I was responsible for them because I was the oldest, they could always come to me if they needed help. Even if it made ME look worse than them. My father thought I was the one causing all the problems. What about Harrison? She and he were always tight. Why couldn't she ask him for help? How, she calls me; now that my life is almost perfect. What they hell am I going to do?

I walked around in a daze and found myself back in the family room. I don't know how I got here. Suddenly, Robin stood up and put his hands on my shoulders. "Faith, are you alright? Who was that on the phone? What did they want?" I seriously couldn't take his questions right now. I think that I snapped at him, but I don't remember what I said. I just remember yelling at him, then running up the stairs to my bedroom. I slammed the door shut. 

Pacing the room, I thought, _Faith, girl, you need to calm down, before Nicky feels this. I don't want to hurt my son with feelings that even I can't handle right now. I don't need to be sharing them with Nicky._

Nicky, my little Empath, my little boy. Every time, I think of him, I see my redemption; I see forgiveness for the crimes that I've committed. The people I've killed. In a weird way, when I see him, I think of Tru. My sister, the gifted one in the family. The smart one that always dreamed of being a doctor. I was, of course, the trouble child, the outcast; the rebellious one. They never knew who I really was. Meredith, she had a huge chip on her shoulder. She always had to be the best at everything. She was the oldest in the Davies family; I was an Evans, I didn't belong in her family. Unfortunately, right before I ran away, she was also the family junky. That was the tip of the iceberg. My brother, Harrison started making bets with friends; the problem was that he lost. They would beat him to an inch of his life. And there was nothing I could do to help them. I couldn't even help myself. The Chosen One, my ass! I couldn't even save my family or my Watcher. It was too much to handle. I ran away from home, never to look back.

In a way, I think I've been running away my entire life from them. Running from Tru…She never hid her secret, her gift from us. We always knew that she could speak to the dead. She never kept it from us. We noticed it right after her mom died. She told us Elise forgave her and told her that it would be okay. It was strange because after our father got remarried and ditched us, she stopped talking about her gift. I honestly don't think she even remembers it. 

I kept lots of secrets. Hid everything from her and the others. My Watcher told me that it was a secret, my calling. No one was to know. I also knew who Elise's killer was. Just because the police had no clue, didn't mean that I didn't. Shortly after I got all chosen, on my first patrol, I ran into alley, listening to a vampire talking shit about killing this lady in front of a little girl. At first I didn't understand. I didn't want to. The other vampire next to him told him something that made me realize, this was step mother's killer. He said, "Stop talking about that kill. It was years ago. The little girl's probably in her teens now. Get a new story." It was him. He killed Elise. So I killed him and his vamp friends. Thinking back, that actually was my first kill ever. I'd never staked a vampire before. Hell, I didn't even know that they existed.

Then our dad got remarried and the shit hit the ground. I got a new Watcher, a new destiny, a new stepmother not that much older than me, and my family was collapsing on itself. 

Tru and I used to be close. I was the oldest; It was my job to keep them safe. I had to take care of them. I failed. Absolutely had no fucking clue that Meredith was using that shit she snorted into her body. Not until she ended up O.D.ing I had to force her into rehab. She hated me even more for doing that to her. I felt like Hell that week and just to put icing on the cake, Kakistos came to town.

I didn't know what to do. My Watcher, she tried to tell me that I was off my game. I fought with her and told her to stay out of my way. I was fine and could take care of everything myself. Didn't she know? I was the Slayer. There was nothing that could defeat me. 

I was completely fucked up. I wasn't listening to anyone anymore. My mind wasn't on those damn vampires and she knew it. So she tried to help me, tried to take care of it for me. She left me a note telling me that she found Kakistos's lair and was going to dust them. I found it too late. By the time I had arrived, my watcher, hell, my mother figure was dead. Completely drained by that Bastard. 

I froze, then when the henchmen came after me I ran. Ran all the way to Sunnydale to the other Slayer, Buffy, and my own personal fall from grace. I was already screwed up as it was, and now I was a murderer. I betrayed my friends, family, the Watcher's Council, everything. And the worst part about it, I didn't give a fuck. I was frozen; a cold bitch from hell. I couldn't feel regret. I couldn't feel anything but empty. 

It took Angel, a vampire with a soul, to get through to me. To help me feel again. I gave myself up, went to prison and came out a better person. So I wasn't released, I escaped; still I can help more out in L.A. than in a maximum security prison. I helped fight Angelus and won. I went back to Sunnydale, helped fight the First Evil, gained forgiveness from Buffy, and fell in love. I'd say I was a changed woman. 

I could've stayed with Buffy, helped her train and find all of the new slayers that Willow called forth. I didn't. I didn't want to, that was Buffy's tuff. Not mine. Let her be the leader, the general of sorts, it was her destiny, not mine. I needed to find my own place in the world, not one that revolved around being Buffy's sidekick. Surprisingly, Robin wanted to come with me. I didn't even know Where to go, yet he said that he would go wherever I wanted, no matter the time or the place. It didn't take that long. The only place I was welcome was L.A. 

Soon, I was a member of Angel Investigations. My crimes were forgotten and forgiven. My past seemingly erased. The only thing that mattered to Angel was that I tried. He would tell me, one day at a time. Keep control and try to think before I react. It was strange but the person I was most afraid of ended up being my cheerleader. I hurt Wesley. I hurt him bad, I think I was going to kill him, yet he still encouraged me. Still loved me in his own way. Helped me, even. I thank the Powers That Be that I have such friends. 

The person who most surprised me was Cordy, though. She hated me in High School, was a complete bitch to me, hell to everybody. When I first arrived, I planned on steering clear of her to give her some space. My plan didn't work. She approached me and, in her own way, put out an olive branch…a shopping spree. She became my best girl friend along with Fred. Weird, huh?

Shortly after, I got pregnant with Robin's son. I acted like it was an annoyance, just to get back at Robin, but I loved it. A new life was growing inside of me, a new life for all of us. When Nicky was born, it was the happiest day of my life. Robin wanted to marry me…I said no. I knew what marriage was like, and I didn't want it. I wanted my life to be mine and only mine. I was sick of having to worry about a family, a family who hated me, with the exception of Tru. It took five years to learn the true meaning of family, what love was really like. And that I didn't have to fear it. I married Robin and became Mrs. Faith Wood. No longer was I an outcast. I was a member of a family. A family that loved me for who I was, knew all of my secrets, and still wanted me, in spite of it.

 And now, my forgotten past is coming back to haunt me. I know that I've got to go back, help my family, the question that remains is what do I do? How can I help them?

A light knock on the jars me from my thoughts. "Come in," I say quietly. The door cracks open slightly, a head poking through. "Hey, Angel, you can come in. I promise I won't bite." 

"Hey, Faith. You okay?" Angel looks uncomfortable. He actually looks like Nicky used to when he first started to potty train. That slight jumping that he does.

"Yeah. Sorry I snapped. I just had lots to think about. Help me, please. I really don't know what to do." I look up at him, hopeful, and knowing that Angel always had the answers. 

"I'll try, Faith. Tell me what you can." 

So I did. I told him the whole sob story of my life. Never once did he interrupt, try to calm me when I shouted, or tell me what to think. He just listened. "What should I do? Should I go back, go to San Francisco? Try to help Tru, Harry, and Meredith? 'Cause in all honesty I don't know what I could do to help them. I mean, it's their lives. What right do I have to just jump in and make things all better? They should be able to do it themselves, you know. They aren't children anymore. I'm afraid if I do it this once, they will keep calling for me to fix all their problems. On the other hand, I am their big sister. Angel, what do I do?"

"I think that you should go. Even if you can't help them, you need to talk to them, a closure of sorts. But Faith, this may not be closure. It may be a beginning. A relationship with your family. They may need you in their lives and want to start over with you. Are you willing to let them back into your heart?"

That's my Angel, always asking the hard questions that I have no idea how to answer. "I guess so. I really don't know. I mean, Harry and Meredith hated me. Tru was the only one I was close to. And she's the one who asked for my help."

"Ok. Tru gave you her phone numbers, right. So why don't you just call her and ask her what she needs from you and save yourself the frustration and worry? Just ask her," Angel suggested. "Then talk to your husband. He's worried about you. He loves you, you know. He doesn't want you to be hurt or upset. He just wants to help you. Maybe you can take him along with you. You know, introduce your husband to your brother, and sisters. Maybe even finish that honeymoon you started."

"Good idea. On both accounts. I will, I promise. I'll call Tru and I'll talk to Robin." 

He patted me on the head on the way out the door. I laughed when he did this. Sometimes I think that he thinks of me like a little sister. He definitely treats me like it. Patting me on the head…Jeez. I lay back on my bed, still thinking. The door opened again a short while later, Nicky and Robin walking in. 

Nicky ran over and jumped on the bed until he was snuggled close to me. God, I love him so much. My little boy. His warmth seeps into my cold heart, filling it with love and joy, instead of uncertainty and wariness. I hold him close to me and kiss his forehead. "I love you, Nicky. I hope you know that. I always will." Robin comes over quietly, trying not to disturb the peace surrounding me for the moment. He sits on the edge of the bed, placing his hands on mine. 

It's time. I know it is. It's time to tell the family of my heart about my other family. The one I ran from. Then, we can decide what to do, together, as a family should. 

After talking to my husband and son, we all decided to go to San Francisco during Christmas break. You know, the two weeks that school is let out for the holiday. It was decided that we would go starting Friday night on the last day of school and come back a week and a half later, Wednesday afternoon, right before Christmas Eve. That way both Nicky and Robin didn't miss any of their work and school. We also wanted to be back so we could spend the holiday with our real family. 

I called Tru later that evening. I told her that I would come and that I was coming with my family. She thanked me so much; I thought she was going to run out of breath. 

I told the rest of the gang of our plans to visit my family. They were very kind about it, even joking that they didn't think they could handle kicking demon butt without us. 

So I planned until the time came to leave. I packed all of our clothing, toiletries, and supplies into Gunn's truck. No one was more surprised that I, when he actually agreed to have us borrow it. That new girl of his has really melted him because there is no way in Hell he would've let us borrow it before. 

Robin and Nicky actually seemed excited to go to San Francisco. Robin had never traveled there, since he was born in New York City, he usually stuck to the east coast until he found out that there was a slayer in California, Buffy to be exact. He moved to Sunnydale to help her, to rid the world of evil and, while he was at it, to be a principal in the newly reconstructed Sunnydale High School. Nicky, well, the only place he's ever been is Disney Land. We jumped in the truck, already blasting with good music that we all loved and made our way to Tru's apartment.

I, on the other hand, was dreading it. I called Tru again last night. She finally told me the real deal. Meredith O.D.ed again. She's really bad off in the hospital. Not only that, but she lost her job. Her bosses found out that she used drugs, they fired her. That night, Meredith decided to take enough Cocaine to kill an elephant.  Tru wasn't sure if she was trying to kill herself or if it was an accident caused by being high. Harrison isn't doing too well either. The gambling has gotten worse. He's got a broken leg, some goons he owed money could've killed him. They came after him with a baseball bat. Any other person would've learned their lesson, but not Harrison. He's still at it. He's still gambling everything away. Still hurting himself. Tru was scared. She really doesn't know what to do anymore. She can't help Meredith. No one can. And Harrison won't listen to her. She told me that she had a new job, working in the City Morgue. That she worked the midnight/graveyard shift. It seemed like she was going to tell me about something else, but she stopped herself, telling me that she had to get back to work. Then she said she'd see me in the morning and hung up.

It was a nice drive, especially since we waited until rush hour was over before leaving the Hyperion. It was still busy due to the other people traveling for the Christmas holiday. It was nice though, when we got closer to the city, Christmas lights shown through store windows. There was even a light show display featuring cartoon characters like Bart Simpson, Mickey Mouse, The Little Mermaid, etc. Nicky practically hung his head out the window, trying to catch all of displays. (_We have this in __Niagara Falls__, __New York__ and in __Niagara Falls__, __Canada__ every year…It's really pretty. Though I must admit the Canadian side is way better than the __US__ side. ~Sensue) It was very pretty to look at. Then we got closer to the city. That wasn't as pretty. The air became thicker with smog and pollution, while hookers littered the corners looking for 'dates' for the evening. Oil drums were lit on fire for warmth. _

This was the town I grew up in. It was strange being back after all of these years. I turned my head away and took a breath. I need to focus. I'm here for a reason. I have to help my family. I pulled out the address that Tru gave to me out of my jeans pocket. She told me that she wouldn't be home because she was at work, but told me to let myself in with the hidden key. I shook my head at her…she put her extra key above the door frame. That was dumb; any robber with any sense looked for the key there. I have to remember to tell her to think of another 'secret' spot. 

After driving around for another fifteen minutes trying to find the place, we finally arrived around 7:45 pm. We got out of the truck to stretch our legs. Then we started pulling out our bags and went up the stairs to find Tru's apartment. I found her key and opened the door to her apartment. It was a very warm and friendly place, her things neat and organized, like I remember Tru was. Nicky was bouncing off the walls, he'd been sitting in a car for too long and needed to release that pent up energy. He ducked around and looked over every crevice of her place. I let him, it was safer to know your environment, know where everything was in case of an emergency than to be shy about it. We put our things in the living room for a moment. On the counter, a note told us to make ourselves at home and to put our things in her room. "My room is now your room," Tru wrote. I thought that was rather nice of her. 

I found her room adjacent to the bathroom. It was really nice and cozy. I walked in and found another note: it seems like my sister had emptied her bottom drawers for our things. I called out for Robin to bring in our bags and started to unpack them into the drawer. After everything was all unpacked and we sat down for a little while, I went into the kitchen in search of some food. Again, a note on the fridge told me that she already made us a chicken vegetable casserole; all we had to do was warm it up. I have to thank her, she must've spent days cleaning, cooking, and organizing for our arrival. The only thing that would've made it better was if she was here. 

After dinner, there was a knock on the door. I opened it hesitantly, not knowing if I should let that person in the door. I didn't even have to think about it. The blonde girl at the door just walked in, saying "Hey… I have to borrow that shirt you bought last week, you know the cream one with the ruffles. I have a date this evening and I think that it'll make or break my date. I mean, I have to look good, right? So can I, please, Tru?"

"Um, I'm not—," I started.

"Ok. Thanks." She walked into Tru's bedroom and dug around through her closet. "I found it. Thanks again. You're the best friend any girl could ask for." Then the woman walked over to me, kissed me on the cheek, and walked out the door. Before she left she said, "I'll call you later tonight and tell you how it went. Or maybe I won't if I take him home with me. Anyway, I'll call you. Bye." 

Robin and Nicky peaked their heads out from the couch. "Well, I guess you do look a lot like your sister. That girl had no clue that you weren't Tru." Nicky was laughing. 

"Mommy, that girl is funny. I like her. She's nice." 

"You know what, Nicky? I do too. I think that she is a good friend. I'm glad that Tru has someone she can trust. I just wonder what her name is." 

So now that we were all fed, unpacked, and washed up, we were sort of bored. Nicky's exploration had revealed a massive video collection. Tru must have every movie in the world. We each picked one movie then decided which one we were going to watch first. Nicky had chosen to watch a Disney movie. Internally, I groaned, I really hated Disney movies, but he was begging to watch "Finding Nemo" so I had to put it on for him. I went back into the kitchen before the previews had finished and found some popcorn in the cabinet. I made some for us and sat down to watch the movie. Surprisingly, it was the best Disney movie I ever saw. It was so funny, especially that little fish Dory, with the short term memory loss. 

Nicky had fallen asleep on my lap more than a half through the movie. Robin picked him up and put him on the inflatable bed in Tru's room that we blew up for him to sleep on. He came back and we snuggled together on the couch watching the Clown-Fish find his son. I relaxed in my husband's arms. Angel was right, I didn't need to worry. It doesn't matter how protective you are, shit happens. I actually learned that from that Disney movie.

We put on another movie, but we weren't watching it. We were busy doing other important things. Like kissing. After a wonderful evening of…_watching movies_, we went to bed. 

I woke up at the sound of the door opening and closing. I didn't know where I was for a moment, finding myself alone in a strange bed, so I reacted on instinct and pulled a stake out from under my pillow. I heard someone tiptoe to the bathroom. That's when I realized, yes, I am in San Francisco. In Tru's apartment. Tru must be home from work. I looked at the clock next to the bed. 9:45 am. Time to get up. 

Robin was already up, probably going for his morning jog around the block. I looked on the floor, yup, Nicky was still sleeping. I quietly pulled some jeans and nice shirt from the drawer and put them on. I'm going to let Nicky sleep in. 

I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. On the way to the kitchen for some coffee, I ran into a towel covered Tru. My morning fog lifted, a smile taking up my whole face. I really didn't think I would be so happy to see her, but I am. She smiled too, embracing me tightly, even though she was still wet from the shower. 

"Faith. Oh, my god, it's so good to see you. You look great," she said enthusiastically. I shushed her with my hand. 

"So do you, girl. I missed you, ya know. It's been forever," I whispered back. 

She looked at me, still smiling, asking, "Why are we whispering?"

"Nicky, my son. He's in the room sleeping."

"Aww. Can I see him?," Tru looked so excited, "I've never had a nephew before and now I do. I, honestly, can't wait to see him. Can I just look in on him now? Please, Faithy?"

I shook my head. My sister. "Ok. You can look in on him, just don't call me Faithy, ok, Tru-y." I said this with a smile. She knew I hated it when she called me Faithy. 

I reopened the bedroom door and we both poked our heads in. My little boy was sleeping soundly, his hand against his cute little face, looking angelic in his sleep. She stood there taking in her fill of him then we both went into the kitchen for some coffee. We both sat on the kitchen table. It was awkward at first; I didn't know what to say to her.

She took a breath. "Faith. I lied to you. I wasn't at work last night. My shift starts at midnight. I was trying to stop someone from dying last night." She looked at me with half closed eyelids, trying to judge my reaction. 

"You mean, like patrol?" I asked. This was taking a turn for the weird. Tru was about to answer when the front door opened, then shut, Robin coming in from his morning run. Sweat was dripping off his body. If we were alone, the things that I would do—anyways… Tru's eyes went wide. I smiled thinking, _yup, girl, he's all man and he's all mine_.

"Tru, this is Robin Wood, my husband." Robin held out his hand to Tru. He looked shocked at the resemblance. I hit him on the shoulder, "I told you that she looked like me."

"Wow. I mean, Faith told me she had a look-alike. I didn't believe her. But now that I'm looking at you, I stand corrected."

So we all sat down in the living area, while Tru told her story. The entire story. Her reliving the future, dead people that speak to her, the entire thing. She was telling us the story as if she didn't know that I already know about her gift. I had to interrupt the poor girl. "Tru, sweetie. I know. I know you talk to dead people. I know about your gift. It's wasn't that well hidden…much like your house key."

"What? What do you mean? You know?" She looked sort of scared. 

"Tru, I know. I know all about it. You've always been able to speak to the dead before they've moved on. It was weird but after Elise, your mom died, and Dad got remarried and left us, you just stopped. I figured you were doing some kind of repressing your inner demons stuff. But I know. We both know. I told Robin just before we came here. It's really not a big deal, ya know."

"You remember me talking with dead people as a child? The only person I remember talking to was my mom." The fear turned into confusion. She couldn't remember anything like that. 

"Ok, Tru. You know how little kids have 'imaginary friends', well, you had tons of them. Except they weren't imaginary, they were dead. Remember Georgie, that little girl imaginary friend of yours that didn't like the beach? Well, you were little, so you probably don't remember, but Georgie Walsh drowned at that beach four months before you started 'talking' to her. There are others. Um…Bobby, the imaginary friend that never let you touch chemicals in the house, he lived down the street from us and died of inhaling bleach and ammonia fumes before you ever 'met' him. You don't remember them though, I mean you were about ten years old when they stopped."

"I don't. I don't remember it. Thank you for telling me. That's why I called you. I need help. So many people are coming into the Morgue where I work, they died, but they still beg for help. I can't save them all. There are too many. I work all night and all day to prevent it and sometimes, I fail. God, I fail, Faith. I'm trying my best, but I can't even save Harrison or Meredith. I mean, Mer is in the hospital. I can't keep her there. She'll just go back and get high. Harrison can't stop his gambling. He's hurt. They're going to kill him soon and I'm afraid that I won't be able to stop it."

"Well, it's big sister to the rescue, Tru. I'll help anyway I can." I don't know what to do. My sister has just blurted out every secret that she has to me and I have yet to even mention that I'm a Slayer. I don't know if I should tell her. Should I? Should I tell her about me; about Nicky's gift? I look covertly at Robin; I see the same questions in his eyes. He doesn't know her. Doesn't know if he can trust her yet. The last time someone in our family trusted too soon, Connor got kidnapped.

I make my decision. I'm not going to tell her yet. I'll hold off until I'm sure that she's still the Tru that I know and trusted as a child. A plan begins to form. I know exactly what to do to help Harrison. He's a teenager. Just like Connor. 

Now, Connor, Angel and Cordy's teenaged son has something of an attitude problem when it comes to authority figures. I guess it comes from living in a Hell Dimension for ten years, never having to answer to anyone. He thinks that he knows everything. He jumps into everything without thinking and argues with anyone, except his mother, who tells him what to do. I'm not the type to take shit from anyone, so I put him in his place. He fought with me on how to interrogate a vampire: he wanted to stake it; I wanted to tie it up and ask it questions. He tried to push his way in, but I ended up beating him up, sitting on him, and telling him that I'd kill him if he ignored me again. Then I sent him home. Trust me when I say he's never argued with me about my decisions again. It's sort of my tough love philosophy because I personally think that he needs discipline, not coddling. 

That's just what Harrison needs. I told Tru that I would handle Harrison. Meredith's drug problem was going to be a lot tougher to handle. I was scared of having Nicky near her, especially if she was high. She could hurt my son. If I was going to help her, and stop her from EVER even touching drugs again, she needs to go through all the steps of withdrawal. I know that lots of drug program advocates believe that druggies should 'sleep through' withdrawal, but I don't think that works as well as actually going through the pain. It'll remind her of what she put her body through taking that shit; not only her body, but her family and the people taking care of her had to go through. 

We talked about how we were going to handle them for a little while until Tru started yawning. I told her to go to bed. Nicky was awake now, he had to be. I went in the bedroom to check on him. Just as I had suspected, he was sitting up in his blown up bed, reading a book. He saw me and hugged me good morning. Then he did a double take when he saw Tru.

I introduced them to each other. He got shy and hid behind my legs a little, but said hello to her. The thought hit me just then, Nicky's got two more aunts and an uncle to add to the mix. We just had to get them on the straight and narrow path.

As Tru took a short nap, I started researching detoxification centers that we could send Meredith to. Another knock on the door interrupted our research. I opened it again, shocked to see my brother, Harrison standing on the other end. He looked like shit. His hair looked like it hadn't been combed in weeks, his clothes rumpled and dirty, and to top it off he was on crutches. 

Surprisingly, he knew that I was Faith and not Tru. "Faith, long time no see." He nodded to me. "How's it going?"

"Harrison, I'm doing great. I hear that you're, on the other hand, doing shitty. I'm here to help you out of that hole." I looked at him. He had that stupid teenaged smirk on his face, you know the one; the one that says, 'I know what I'm doing and don't care what you think.' It always makes me want to slap him. 

"I don't know where you heard that from," he pokes his head through the door to look for Tru. "Are you doing to let me in? My leg hurts, you know."

I pulled the door open and gestured to come in. He caught sight of Robin and asked me if he was my boyfriend. "Harrison, meet my husband, Robin Wood. The little boy hiding behind him is Nicholas, Nicky, my son. Nicky, Robin, this is Harrison, my brother, your uncle, Nicky."

Robin also saw the 'smirk'. I smiled when I saw his expression. Robin was no longer the concerned husband and father, he was now in what I call "Principal Wood" mode. A couple hours with the both of us and the kid will never again think of gambling. 

Harrison asked where Tru was, said something about her telling him who would win the football game that evening. Oh, god. Tru has been helping him. She's been telling him who's winning sporting events; I know that she doesn't think of it that way, but she's encouraged his gambling. Not helping him quit. Well, now it's my turn. I told Nicky to go into the other room and watch a video or read a book. 

I sat him down and prepared to give him the lecture of a lifetime and if he didn't listen, I was going to beat the shit out of him. And if that still didn't help, I was prepared to sic Robin on him. If the both of us weren't enough to stop him from gambling and hurting himself, I was going to ship him off to L.A. to live with us for a couple of months. It wasn't like the kid had a job or anything. If Robin and I couldn't get through to him, then trust me, Spike and Angel could. 

We must have spent four hours talking to the kid. He is so stubborn. Wasn't listening to either of us. He reminds me of when I was younger. Nothing that we said got through to him and I was getting frustrated. He was just telling us that he wouldn't do it again, but he didn't mean it. He was just telling us things that we wanted to hear. 

Finally, I was going to snap, and I think that Robin was too. We had to let him go. There was nothing more to say to him. After we got Meredith setup in a good detox and rehab program, we were going to drag him to L.A. with us. Let's see how the kid does in L.A. dealing with drug dealers, serial killers, and OH yeah…demons. Demons, that got me thinking, Lorne told me that he helped lots of girls get off the drugs. Of course, the girls didn't use cocaine; they used some kind of drug that vampires got high off of too when they drank the girls blood. It was a two way system, I guess. The girls got high of the drug…the vampires got high off the girl's blood which contained the drug and they got to drink their favorite drink from a willing victim. The girl got the sexual feelings the vampire feeding off of them gave them and they all got happy. Weird and stupid. Most of the time, the vampires got too high and just killed the girl when they were done.

I could take both of them back with me. Lorne can help Meredith with the drugs, Angel and Spike can scare the shit out of Harrison, and we can go back to L.A.; back to our own turf. 

After Tru woke up from her nap, I explained my plans to her. I told her that I wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer from any of them. They were coming with me, even if I had to drag them there. I asked Tru if she wanted to come back with me, until they both got better. 

Tru looked at me, hope filling her eyes. I know that she wanted it to work. She wanted them to stop hurting themselves, but she couldn't come with me. "Faith, I hope that it works. Hell, I know it will if you're not willing to give up on them. But I can't go…I have to stay here. I have to help those people I see in the morgue. But if you can even help me with Mer and Harry then I can focus on helping those people without having to worry about my brother and sister getting into trouble. Faith, I don't know how, but you've changed. For the better, I mean. Thank you, thank you for helping me. For helping them. I'll never forget this for as long as I live." She kissed my cheek, and then pulled me into a tight hug, once more whispering in my ear, thank you, Faith.

I kissed her back on the cheek, then rubbed her back until she let go. I reached over for her phone, calling ahead to L.A to tell them the change in plans. Angel agreed that it was the best solution and told me that he'd get two rooms ready for my guests. 

Robin looked on, his stance ready to pick up our little troublemakers. I gave Tru one last hug and asked her to watch Nicky for a couple of hours for us. I repacked our clothing with Robin's help and got our things packed up in the truck. All I could say was thank god that we have enough room for everybody due to Gunn's back seat. I put all of our things in the back of the truck and jumped in, ready to pickup Meredith from the hospital. I was seriously hoping that the hospital kept her drugged up…if she was lucid, she'd fight us and I don't want to hurt her. I will if I have to, but it would be easier on everybody if she cooperated. 

The plan was to pick up Meredith, then to find Harrison, wherever he was and put them in the truck. Then I would call Tru, once we were in front of her apartment, to sent Nicky down to the truck in the front. For just this once, I was going to put Nicky in the front seat. There was no way that Nicky was going to get anywhere near Meredith until she was sober. 

Well, it was easier said than done. 

First of all, you now have to prove your relation to a patient in the hospital for drug abuse in order to come and visit. I guess that I must've looked like a drug dealer or gang member or something because the nurse called a security team to escort me out. They wouldn't even let me explain that she was my sister, just grabbed me and tried to drag me away. Now, I don't usually let anyone manhandle me, but I was trying to remain calm. So I did the next best thing to kicking their asses: I yelled at them in a really loud voice. I guess that was enough commotion to wake Meredith from her drug induced haze and she came out of her room to see what was happening. 

She told them to stop; that I was her sister Tru. God, she was so high, she couldn't even tell us apart. Now, you are all thinking that Tru and I are almost identical so, how can we tell you apart? We'll let me tell you, first of all, I'm older, so I look older than Tru. I also don't dress the same as she does. I like to wear baggy clothes and especially like the color black, whileTru is a more pastel and lace type of girly girl. 

After the security team left the area, I got the chance to speak to Meredith's doctors and unfortunately her shrink at the hospital. They all encouraged me to commit her to a rehab clinic to get help for her addiction. I told them that I already had something setup for her care during her withdrawal period; a friend of mine who had lots of experience in helping people with their addictions. After 'discussing' the doctor's concerns, I finally got them to release her into my care. The dumb idiots didn't even notice that I signed the papers with my real name, Faith Wood, instead of Tru Davies. Oh, well. Too bad for them.

Then I went into Meredith's room and told her that I had signed her out. I explained that I was in charge of her care and that if she didn't like it, I would change my mind and just let the doctors commit her to a special clinic for 'these types of problems.' She still thought I was Tru, still thought that she could just sweet talk Tru into whatever she wanted. I mean, Tru is extremely smart. Hell, I wish I was half as smart, but the girl lets people walk all over her. I mean, even that internship that she wanted at S.F. General, her advisor screwed her over and told her to work at the City Morgue. If I got screwed over like that, especially if it hurt my chance to go to medical school, trust me, that advisor would be splattered all over the wall. But no, Tru just accepted it and started working in that place. 

Meredith was still a little slow at moving, so I packed up her belongings, signed her out AMA (against medical advice) and called the nurse for a wheelchair to take her out to the truck waiting for us by the main entrance. I had wheeled her out in the chair and pulled her into the back seat of our truck. By the time I had put on her seat belt she had fallen asleep, leaning her face against the side window. Since she was sleeping, she missed the entire drive to Chang's Restaurant where Harrison played his card games in the back room. 

Robin stayed in the car with Meredith. I walked through the restaurant and passed the seating host at the door. I knew exactly where the backroom door was, I'd been to tons of places like this before. Some goons tried to stop me, but I don't know about anyone else, but I'm sick of people trying to drag me out of places I need to be. I mean, I got work to do. A swift kick in the balls certainly stopped them in their tracks.

 I continued on walking to the back room as if no one could stop me, because, come on I have the strength of ten men and all that. I opened the door, the men at the table stopped passing cards and stared at me. Harrison stood up quickly and stopped them from pulling out their guns by announcing that I was his sister.

I've had enough bullshit for the day. "Boys, I'm sorry to interrupt, but the game's over for my boy Harrison. Harrison, just cash in your chips, we're leaving." My hands were crossed over my chest, my stance in the typical "mommy's mad" pose. 

Harrison looked livid. Angry that I'd embarrassed him by making him leave the table. The guy at the head of the table grabbed him by the arm and prevented him from leaving. "I'm afraid that your brother owes us some money. Something around the tune of $850."

I gaped at my brother; the dumb fuck owes how much? "Shit, Harrison. $850. Wait her, I'll get the money to pay off your debt, but you are going to pay me back every cent, got it?" I stomped off back to the truck. Luckily, Robin and I came prepared for this mission with over $2000 in the well armed and unbreakable lock of Gunn's glove compartment. I gave Robin the heads up on the situation inside, noticing that Mer was still sleeping in the backseat. I pulled out exactly $850 and went back to pay the 'house'. 

After I had paid them, the men seemed more kind to, even issuing a personal invitation to join them in the game whenever I wanted. God, what assholes. I gave them a glare and grabbed Harrison by the collar. I actually dragged him out to the truck. 

He started yelling at me, and trying to pull away telling me that it was none of my business and all that shit like I'd never been there for him when he needed me. I finally got tired of listening to his bull and just clocked his lights out. I'm really not in a good mood. I thought about what Angel would tell me; probably something like take deep breaths and count to ten, no, actually that's what Cordy'd tell me. Robin had seen me and climbed out of the truck to help me drag him into the backseat along with Meredith.

Just like planned, I called Tru and told her that I was all set to leave San Francisco, the only thing that I needed was my baby. We waited out in the front of the apartment building as Nicky, hand-in-hand with Tru skipped all the way to the truck. I got out of the truck hugged him, then proceed to push the two sleeping passengers closer together so I could squeeze in next to them. Nicky was placed snuggly in the front seat, Robin taking the time to fasten two sets of seatbelts on him to hold him securely. 

We were now all set to go back home to L.A. It's not going to be easy, I know this right now. But I'm going to try my best to help my brother and sister through all of this. Lorne and I will take care of Meredith during withdrawal and help her to live her life without drugs. And hopefully, with the help of Angel and Spike, Harrison will be able to control his gambling addiction. I actually hope that forcing them to live in the Hyperion with my friends and family will show them both what a true family is all about, especially during Christmas.

End of December: Part I.

Link to December: Part II. (Please note that it may not be up yet, I just put up the link in advance. It should be up soon.)

Yes, that does mean that in Part II, the Davies family is going back to L.A.

Give me a week to put up Part II, though. I'm sort of stuck for ideas. It's not that I don't have any, it's that I have too many of them and they all conflict. 

This part is for me; I'm writing it down so I don't forget. These are my ideas. **If you like one more than the others, or if you have any of your own, please tell me.**

* Connor is going to become Harrison's friend because they don't have any friends their own age. 

* Somehow Faith either got to tell them both about demons or find a way to hide it from them. (This is where it's conflicting because Lorne has to help Meredith. I'm thinking that they could hide it from her, but making him where gloves and a hat. Then they could use special costume make up to make him look human.) Or they could just tell her that he's a demon.

* Tru and her friend, Lindsay (?? Maybe??)  will come down for Christmas dinner (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) and meet the Angel Investigations team.

* Also Faith does NOT tell Meredith, Harrison, or Tru about being a slayer or about Nicky's gift. If it took her five years to agree to marry Robin, she's not going to trust her brother and sisters that quickly.

* Faith is going to get sick (ill) taking care of Meredith and Harrison. She's so busy trying to help them that she doesn't take care of herself.

* Angel gets mad at Harrison for sneaking out and playing cards. He's going to punish him in some way. ???

* Lorne tries a magic potion to see if he can make the withdrawal process for Mer easier. 

* Possibility: Willow comes over and tries to help too, by telling them about her addiction. (But, then is she going to tell them that she's a witch who had an addiction to magicks or does she just tell them she had some other kind of addiction, like a drinking problem.)


	4. December Part II Faith's POV

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Angel: the series or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer shows or characters. I do however own the characters of Cathy Lucy Angel and Nicholas (Nicky) Wood. No money is exchanging hands. Please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student without a dime. 

**_Summary_**_:_ This story is the sequel to Fast Forward. Connor has finally come back home after living in Quar'toth for ten years. Each chapter will focus on a separate character's point of view as Connor adjusts to being back home and living with his family. 

**_Pairings_**: Angel/Cordy, Faith/Wood, Fred/Wesley, Gunn/OC, Spike/Buffy, later on Connor/Dawn, Anya/Xander, Willow/Kennedy.

The song that inspired this story is This Year by Christina Aguilera. (Click to get the lyrics)

If you want to skip around to other chapters first you can, but they might not be up yet. I just put in the links in advance. They are all separate stories with different points of view.

**_Rating_**: PG-13 to R for Language. Mostly the F word. I use some other bad language, but nothing you probably haven't heard anywhere else.

**_PS_**_—I have tried really hard to figure out WHAT city Tru Calling takes place in. I think it's either __San Francisco__ or __New York City__. I'm leaning towards __New York__, though. In all honesty, it could probably be ANY _United States___ city…All cities have those kinds of buildings somewhere. But for this story, I'm going to say that Tru and her family live in __San Francisco__, just to keep it all in __California__, so they can drive there, instead of fly. I don't know if I want to take Faith all the way across the country. If anyone knows for sure, email me…I'll change it, but for now, I'm just going to stick to __San Francisco__._

*****PPS**—_I really didn't want to get too much into Meredith's withdrawal. I assume that most people have either seen it on TV or actually known someone who has gone through it. It's a difficult process and, to be honest, I don't want to write twenty pages of a junky vomiting and going into semi-seizures; begging for a hit. I write just enough for you to get the point. OK. Now to the story…_

**This Year**

**By: Sensue**

**Chapter Three: December. **Part II.** (Faith's POV) x-over with Tru Calling**

I would love to say that the rest of the trip went as smoothly as the pickup, but then I'd be lying my ass off. Once Meredith woke up, it really became the trip from hell. I don't want to get into too much detail, but suffice to say, it ended with Nicky sobbing his heart out, Meredith screaming at the top of her lungs, and Harrison being knocked unconscious again; this time by my overprotective husband trying to protect my honor or some crap like that. The kid is gonna end up with a concussion, if he doesn't learn to watch his language in front of my son.

I'm actually surprised that we made it to the Hyperion without killing anyone. Robin pulled into the hotel lot: According to the cars parked there, Wesley was the only one there. We all piled out of the truck, Harrison finally waking his ass up and sporting two large bruises on his face. Meredith was pissed; her arms crossed over her chest. 

I picked up Nicky and carried him in the house. The kid had fallen asleep due to all of his crying. His energy drained from the emotional fallout. I sort of wish I could trust those two enough to tell them our family secrets. They could, maybe, try to control their emotions better when they're around my son. But I fear that their reactions to his gifts could cause more harm than good. 

Luckily, I called Angel ahead of time and let him know that plans had changed. He told me not to worry, they wouldn't be told anything about vampires, demons, hell dimensions, and slayers, etc. I asked him about Lorne; how was Lorne going to help Meredith if he looked like a demon? How was she going to get past his color? Again, Angel reassured me that he had a plan. I trust Angel, Hell, I trust him more than anyone else in my life. So I wasn't going to worry about Lorne.

So when I walked into the Hyperion, followed by my guests, I wasn't really looking around. I was too caught up in my thoughts. Nicky pulled his head away from my shoulder; feeling movement and woke up.

It was his exclamation of "Wow! Mommy, look! It's Christmas for real. We even have a big tree for Santa to come and put presents under. Look at the pretty lights."

I looked around, truly amazed. _Nicky's right, the hotel looks gorgeous. I see the plastic poinsettias in the corners, and thought, yup, that's our Cordy for you. Putting up her plastic flowers all over the place. I think that even Harrison and Meredith were impressed. Robin came up besides me and put an arm around my waist. We stood there in awe for a moment. That's until Connor jumped off the top of the staircase and landed on his feet right in front of us, that we budged._

"Hey, Faith. Hey, Robin, Nicky. Glad you're back. Dad's on a case right now with Spike and Mom. He'll be back in a while." He then held his arms out for Nicky. Nicky jumped out of mine and into his. He really loves Connor like a big brother. 

"Connor, wait up a second. I want you to meet my brother and sister. Connor, this is Meredith and Harrison. Mer, Harry, this is Angel's son, Connor."

Harrison gave a hand up and 'hey' in response, while Meredith just nodded. "Connor, can you please take care of Nicky for a while? I have to get everyone settled in their rooms then talk to your mom and dad when they get here. Okay?"

"'Kay, Faith." Connor walked off, Nicky following him into the kitchen. Connor had stopped calling us 'aunt' and 'uncle', feeling more comfortable just using our first names.

The kid was definitely adapting to this dimension. You could tell by the way the boy eats. He's worse than Cordy during 'that time of the month.' He pigs out on chocolate and donuts all the time. Well, I can't complain about the donuts. They're my downfall. I once had a donut eating contest with Gunn. I beat him by five donuts. He ate fifteen and a half and I ate about twenty. I think he got sick afterwards too. I, on the other hand, could've probably eaten twenty more. God, I love donuts, especially jelly filled ones. I want one right now.

I think that I'm obsessing over donuts because I don't want to think of what I have to do. I have to switch back on "Bitchy Slayer" mode and take no survivors. I can't let them weasel out of this. Meredith is going to stop taking drugs and Harrison is going to get a fucking life that doesn't revolve around gambling. It's going to be hard, but at least I've got some backup now.

Robin went back to the truck to get our bags. Tru had Harrison's clothes already packed up after I had told her about taking him to LA with me. I couldn't get Meredith's clothes though, but I figure that she's about Cordy's height. Cordy'll probably let her borrow a few of her 'out of style' clothes. I mean, I can't really picture Cordy giving up her new stuff to a stranger. 

I found Wesley in his office, deep in reading some book, as usual. "Hey, Wes!" I shout. I admit it. It's still fun to get a stir out of Wesley. I think of it as a job, someone's got to drive the guy nuts, it might as well be me.

He jolted, then glared at me. "Faith, it is so good to have you home so soon. I missed you," he said, only being a little sarcastic. "What can I do for you?"

Then Meredith and Harrison walked up behind me. "Oh. We have guests. Forgive me, I'm Wesley Wyndham Pryce." He held out his hand to them. After they shook hands with him, I introduced them and then asked where Angel had setup their rooms.

Meredith was getting worse. She was starting to sweat and her eyes flickered from place to place. Her hands trembled ever so slightly, so she put them in her pockets to hide it. It was time to put her to bed. She was starting to show the signs of 'coming down'. She's going to be begging for a hit soon.

Wesley walked us upstairs and showed us the rooms that they were to use for their stay. He told all of us that Cordy had the rooms cleaned and ready for our guests. She really put lots of thought into the rooms, going so far as to decorate them to suit the personality of person staying there. Harrison's room was across the hall from Connor's new room. Because of his heightened vampire senses of smell and sound, he really didn't want to stay in the room across the hall as his parents. NO EXPLAINATION WAS NECESSARY. No one wants to hear what happens in their parent's room at night. His childish toys and clothes were with either given to Nicky or to Anne's Halfway House. Nicky, of course, kept Connor's collection of toy cars and trucks. Connor had gotten a completely brand new wardrobe bought by Fred, Cordy, and Angel. I had no idea that Angel was a shop-a-holic. 

Inside was almost everything that Harrison could need.  I mean, it was even decorated with music posters, decently covered, but pretty models, and funny bumper stickers that littered the walls. Hubcaps and pipes made up corner shelves that held up books on science, history and poetry. IN only one corner of the room, by the window specifically, was a vase full of plastic flowers. It looked like everyone had pitched in. The only thing missing was technology. Angel really didn't like phone lines and cable lines put in everywhere in the old fashioned hotel. And to be honest, he really didn't know how to use them. A cell phone will have him baffled for months, so I can't imagine him working a digital VCR or DVD player. No one in the mansion, except for Spike, watched TV either. So it wasn't a big deal to share the large one in the family room. 

I suppose if Meredith or Harrison wanted one, we could put one in without cable, but I doubt they'd have a single moment to spare. Any type of recovery was a long hard road, an addiction was the worst. 

Harrison like his room, if his reaction was a judge. He ran up to the bed, then jumped on it, lying down to stretch out. Robin came in a minute later to drop off his bag of clothes by the door.

I told Harrison to 'be good,' then continued with Wesley and Meredith to show her to the room she would be staying in. I put my hand behind her back; her shaking was getting worse, she couldn't hide it anymore. We walked to the elevator and went up to the top floor of the hotel. It was newly repaired and reconstructed after, I just heard about this, a telepath who wanted to screw Angel blew it up. Don't ask me, I wasn't here. It was nice looking, yet traditional. Angel kept to the original architecture of the original hotel in the fifty's. 

Meredith's room was pretty empty in comparison to Harrison's. It only contained a twin sized bed, night stand, lamps, dresser and a couple of chairs. I was sort of shocked to see it look, well Spartan. I looked questioningly at Wesley. He looked at Meredith, then back at me. "Lorne decorated this room. He felt that once Meredith was feeling better, she could go move to another more comfortable room downstairs. Perhaps the room near Fred's room. If that's okay?"

I nodded. Meredith didn't say anything. I don't think she knew where the hell she was. She then turned and ran to the interconnected bathroom in order to throw up. Another perk of the room was the separate bathroom. It was also far enough away from anyone else's room so that if she yelled or started screaming it wouldn't bother anyone. Nicky was also far enough away so he couldn't pick up her thoughts. I worry that as he gets older, that may not longer be the case. I stood there listening as she vomited the hospital food she had eaten earlier.

Wes had pulled at my arm, gesturing to go outside in the hall. "Faith, the real reason the room is like this is because there are times in which people going through withdrawal will often feel like they're going to die. Sometimes they actually try to attempt to kill themselves to escape the pain. You should be aware of that. Also, we're dressed Lorne up as a human. Trust me when I say that no one is going to know that he's a demon. Also Spike, Angel and Cordy have agreed no to use their abilities while your siblings are still here. Connor's being a little rebellious of sorts. He doesn't want to hide his abilities in his own home, so I've come up with an impressive cover story. First of all, since Angel and Cordy don't look old enough to even have children, I'm telling everyone that he was an orphan that they adopted. Since he's eighteen, he graduated high school last year and was a star athlete in the school's gymnastics team. Cathy hasn't developed her powers yet, so we don't have to worry about her. Nicky, on the other hand, needs to be a little careful. We'll try our best to keep him as far away from Meredith as possible. We don't want him to get hurt."

"Don't worry about Nicky, Wes. He'll be okay. I'm going to help Meredith. Um, could you just keep an eye on Harrison? I'm afraid that he'll try to sneak off and play cards somewhere. He doesn't know about the demons living here. If he makes a bet with the wrong person, losing cash is the least of his worries. He could lose his soul." 

"No need to worry about your brother. We'll all take care of him. You just concentrate on helping your sister. We'll handle the rest. Oh. Lorne will be here later this evening to help you both."

"Okay, thank you Wesley. I really appreciate what you're doing for me." I kissed him on the cheek. He blushed and walked back downstairs.

I went back into Meredith's room, finding her still in the bathroom, praying to the porcelain god. I just sat next to her on the floor, waiting for her to finish. I just watched, unable to help her. I wish Cordy was home, she's really good at caring for people when they get sick or hurt. She's sort of our 'house doctor.' I, on the other hand, just get uncomfortable. I guess that's another difference between me and my look-alike, Tru. She loves helping people; that's why she wants to be a doctor so badly. Angel would tell me to be honest with myself. So honestly, I really don't like helping people. I just like kicking the demon asses that are bothering them. I'm a fighter. I don't really do the whole crying at movies thing, awing at baby's not my own, or getting hysterical at the slightest problem. I'm a slayer. Although now that I think about it Buffy was exactly like that, so I'm not like 'a slayer.' I'm an individual; a slayer like no one has ever known. 

And now I'm stuck having to take care of my druggy half sister that I haven't seen in over seven years. Now I know what Cordy must've felt like after her parents showed up after ten years and ruined her life by kidnapping her son to live in a hell dimension. 

I waited until she was done puking her guts up and helped her back onto the bed. She fell back to sleep. I didn't know what to do with myself. I sort of pulled up one of the chairs next to her bed and sat there thinking.

I had no specific thought in mind; it was jumbled. I then realized that I couldn't leave her, not even to patrol or work. I hope Angel doesn't mind. I mean, we're a family and we get paid whether or not we do anything, a straight salary of sorts. Cordy takes the checks the clients pay us with, first paying off business expenses, and then split the remainder equally. It sucks when business is bad or our clients refuse to pay us, but none of us starve.

Meredith woke up a bunch of times, each time running to the bathroom to vomit. The only problem was she didn't have anything left in her. So dry heaves shook her body and left her, to borrow a phrase from Lorne, like a wet noodle. 

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs a few hours later. Angel popped his head in the doorway of the bathroom. "Hi, Faith. I would ask you how it's going but I can see it's not going too well. Can I help?"

"Yes. Angel, I don't know what to do. How do I help her?" I was desperate. 

"First, try to get something in her stomach, even if it's just water or something. It'll also help if you put a pan or something by the bed, it'll help you later when she's too tired to get up. And try to be patient; this might take days, maybe weeks to get over all of the effects." He put a hand on my shoulder; it was as if she was passing his strength to me. I definitely need it. I'll need all the help I can get. 

"Ok. Thanks, Angel." He left the room, stopping at the doorframe, "Let me know if I can do anything else. Oh, and don't worry about Harrison. Spike and I have got it covered. Everyone is pitching in to help him, even Connor. Trust me, by the time we're done with him, card will be the last thing on his mind." He said this with an evil smile on his face, then turned and left the hall.

Yeah, Harrison'll be fine. Angel won't let him screw up like I did. He'll stop him before it goes too far and someone ends up dead. 

What seemed like forever later, Lorne walked in. "What the Hell?" was the first question out of my mouth, "You look…hell, you look human. Wes told me that you would, but I didn't believe him. How the hell did you pull it off? What about your horns? That looks great."

"Hi, sweetie. Yes. It's so good to see you too. Well, Spike had a way of getting my horns off, HE BROKE THEM OFF OF MY HEAD! At least, they'll grow back. And I believe, to answer the rest of your questions, there is something called professional actor's make up, hair dye, and molded prosthetics too. Luckily, Cordy still knew where to buy that sort of thing from her time in the acting field. I look good, huh?  This stuff is guaranteed to last at least twelve hours, until I start to look 'green', I'm all yours. Why don't you introduce me?" 

He came closer to the bed. Meredith didn't even seem aware of who was in the room with her. Her trembling shook the bed. "Tru," she still thought I was Tru, "please, I need something. I need it, just a little, you know stop gradually. I can't do this anymore, Tru, please, just a little. You can sneak into a hospital, take something, anything. It hurts so much. Please, Tru, Help me." Her voice was harsh and broken, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. "Please, help me."

"Meredith," I was getting pissed of at her, "First off, I'm not getting you drugs, so stop asking me. Second of all, I'm NOT TRU! I'm Faith."

Lorne put a hand out against my chest to stop me. "Honey, I don't think she understands you. Right now, all she can comprehend is the need for more drugs."

He pulled out a crystal of some sort out of the bad that I didn't notice he carried on his shoulder. "This'll help direct positive energy to her. Hopefully, taking the worst edge off the pain and despair that I know she's feeling right now." He placed a crystal on each corner of the bed.

Then he sat in the chair next to the bed and rubbed at her temples for about a half hour. I sat at the edge of the bed watching her. She seemed slightly better. I forced lots of liquids down her and tried to get her to eat the meals Fred had brought up for her. The water just got thrown back up again and the food ended up on the walls after she screamed that we were trying to kill her. She picked up the tray and threw it across the room, food spattering on the walls and dresser.

It was hard. I stayed with her the entire time, in her room for four days and nights. In that time, I hadn't slept and hardly ate for fear of her hurting herself while I slept. She'd certainly been threatening to. Cordy tried to get me to take a break, coming up every morning to ask me to come down and eat breakfast with the rest of them and every night in time for dinner. Each time, I refused. So a tray was brought up for the both of us in time for each meal. 

I really didn't eat much of anything. I had lost my appetite. I mean, how can you eat when the person right next to you is yakking and gagging. I wasn't feeling too hot myself, but I wasn't going to bitch about it. I had heard enough of Meredith's bitching to last lifetimes.

Lorne really helped us out. Once she was lucid, he talked to her and helped her get through the rouge patches. He even taught her a calming song. I didn't think that "My Heart Will Go On" was that calming, feeling that if I heard it once more, I would explode, but Meredith liked it and it helped her. 

By Christmas Eve, Meredith felt well enough to come downstairs and meet everyone else. She was still shaky, but coherent enough to not be rude to anyone.

She sat on the couch, talking quietly to Fred, who was the only one NOT running around with their heads chopped off in preparation for Christmas Eve dinner. When Meredith asked where Harrison was, Fred told her that he was hanging out with Connor. Then, in Fred's typical manner, proceeded to tell her the entire "Connor Cover Story" in less than five minutes.

Her voice grated on my nerves. My head pounding now, with every word she babbled. I put my head in my hands. The room was spinning and I felt like I was going to be the one puking soon. Fred's voice got louder, until I felt hands pull my shoulders back against the couch cushions. A different set of hands pulled away my hands covering my face. _God, what the hell was their problem? Leave me alone. It's too hot, stop touching me. I have no idea if I was thinking this or actually saying it, but the voices grew in amount and intensity. A hand was placed against my forehead. _

It felt nice, cool and dry against my hot face. I felt someone else lift me and the jolts of being carried up the stairs. Soon I was placed on a flat, but comfortable surface. My clothes were pulled off of me and covers were draped over my body.

I think I slept for a while, until my head was lifted and pills were put in my mouth. I tried to spit them out, but water followed the pills, forcing me to swallow them. Then a cool wetness spread across my head, neck and chest. It felt so good, I could've stayed there forever.

I cracked open my eyes to see Cordy wiping me down with a wash cloth. I turned my head over to see Robin's head resting against the right side of the bed. He was sleeping in a chair besides me; his hands pillowing his head. I croaked, "hey, Cor."

Cordy's voice was soft and warm, like a mother's, "Easy, Faith. It's okay. You're okay now. You just need to take it easy."

"What happened?" The last thing I remember was Meredith and Fred talking.

"You've let yourself get rundown, Faith. Slayer or not, you still need to eat and sleep," she lectured, her tone scolding me, "You practically passed out from stress yesterday. Oh, by the way, Merry Christmas, Faith."

"I fucking slept through Christmas Eve?"

"You needed it. You actually spiked a fever of 100º. And anyway, it's Christmas morning. You didn't sleep through Christmas and no one has opened their presents yet. We were waiting for you. Robin was really worried. He stayed with you all day and all night. He didn't want to leave you in case you needed anything. You've got a great husband, you know. He really loves and cares about you."

"Thank you, I mean it, Cor. Thanks. You are my best friend. No one has ever given a crap about me and here you guys are taking care of me, of my son and I don't know how I can thank you for it."

"Faith, you don't have to thank me or anyone else. We're family. Families take care of each other. You're my best friend too, you know."

She hugged me, then proceeded to help me "get my butt out of bed and come open presents." 

Robin woke up during the commotion of choosing what to wear. By the time an appropriate outfit was picked out, my clothes had exploded out of the closet and on the floor of my bedroom. Robin gave me a kiss and told me he loved me, and then went downstairs to tell the others that I was feeling better. 

When I walked downstairs to see my family, I was shocked to see them, most of my family, Harrison and Meredith included dressed in Santa hats and singing Christmas carols with Lorne in the front lobby. Fred noticed me coming down the stairs first, and then ran to the other end of the lobby to get me 'the most comfortable chair in the hotel.' They all made me sit and relax in the chair, threatening to tickle me if I so much as moved a toe out of that chair the rest of the day. Nicky came up to me, and hugged me, whispering "Merry Christmas, Mommy" in my ear. 

Meredith also came up to me, "Thank you, FAITH," she stressed out, "I can't believe that you even wanted to try to help me. I was so mean to you when we were children. I was jealous and petty, I hope that you can forgive me, and start fresh. Thank you so much for helping me to get my life back from drugs. I owe you and Lorne my life."

Maybe it was the fever, but tears welled up in my eyes. "Don't worry about it. It's water under the bridge and all that. I just hope that I've helped you enough to keep you from EVER going back to using." 

"I won't, I promise. It's over. I'll never touch drugs again." She looked so confident in that statement. _She really means it this time, I thought. _

Harrison looked good too. He too gave me a hug thanking me for bringing him here to get help. He then hid in a quiet corner, talking excitedly with Connor. Those two looked like they were planning something. I'm not sure if it's good or not, but when two teenagers start sneaking around, you know something is up. I wouldn't know anything about it until it was time to open the presents.

Nicky and Cathy couldn't wait another second, begging that it was time to open the gifts. So we all gathered near the tree passing out presents printed with our names on it. Each person would open one gift at a time and then go around in a circle letting the next person open their one present until all of the presents were open. It was easier to see who got what present if all the presents weren't open at once. Everyone had a place near the tree, except for Wesley, who I hadn't seen since we first got back from San Francisco. 

Spike was thinking the same thing, "God, that wanker. It's Christmas and he's still stuck in his office translating that damn prophecy. I say we drag him out by the ears if we have to and make him celebrate it with us. 'Cause I'm not gonna wait for him. I want to open those presents… I know one of them is going to be a DVD player…I just know it."

We all laughed at that. He had definitely given us enough clues as to what he wanted for Christmas this year. It seemed every time he saw you, he'd mention a new DVD he wanted or saw on TV that 'looked really funny' or something like that. Pretty covert of him.

Fred volunteered to go get him. He looked worse than me; the book was still in his arms, as if he wasn't going to let it go for anything. He quietly said, "Merry Christmas," then sat down in his spot. He didn't look to excited to be opening his presents, but the kids were excited enough for everyone.

The kids, including Harrison and Connor, had gotten tons of clothes, toys, and books this year. They also received ONE big present that they really wanted. Harrison was really surprised to see that Angel had bought him a Gameboy™ with five games. Connor had gotten a new bow and arrow set, which he had wanted very badly. Cathy had gotten the new Scooby Doo Barbie™ doll (Daphne) and the Mystery Van too, complete with a plastic Scooby Doo. Nicky, got a new big boy bike, without training wheels that me and his dad promised to teach him to ride.

The gifts we had bought for each other were really funny. Angel had gotten a toy cell phone that made noises if you touched any button. Cordy had gotten a Barbie dream house and vanity set, which she promised to give to Cathy. Gunn had gotten fuzzy dice to put in his "sweetheart" and Fred had gotten ten gift certificates to the Taco Hut. Wesley got really big reading glasses that were the size of his head. Robin got a mug that said, "I'm the principle: Do ass I sae`." Meredith got a huge box of bandages: each one with a message on it, like 'Don't Sweat the Small Stuff', etc. I got a T-shirt that said "Piss me off and you will get knocked OUT!" I assume that was from Harrison.  

Then it was Spike's turn. His present was quite large in size; a rectangular box that might hold a DVD player. He opened the box, finding another box, neatly wrapped inside of it. He looked up at each of us to judge our reactions. "Just so you know, I won't be too happy with you if this is one of those egg things, where there's an egg inside an egg, in this case a box in a box." He then opened that box, and yes, finding another smaller box, also wrapped inside…he unwrapped the next box, to find another box, this time with the words OPEN CAREFULLY written on it with marker. He did as the box said, opening the small box carefully. Inside the small box was an envelope. He rolled his eyes at all of us, clearly disappointed. We watched his eyes as he read the letter; they got so big, that I thought that they were going to come out of his head. Then he jumped up and down and screamed for joy. He ran around like a little boy, hugging everyone in the room and then picking up the kids and spinning them around and around. "I got a DVD player. I got a DVD player. I just got to go pick it up from the store, along with," he read of the paper, "my choice of any 20 DVDs." He danced around the room, very excitedly.

After he was done, Angel stood up, announcing that there was "one more present to open." He went into the other room and pushed in a huge cake. It was one of those ones girls pop out of. "Okay. This present is for Faith, this year." With that being said, not one, but two girls popped out. What really shocked me was that one of them was Tru and the other Tru's blond friend.

"Surprise, Faith." They yelled out. 

"Oh, my god. Tru, and, I'm sorry I still don't know your name, you came."

"Lindsay," she said. "Nice to meet you, Faith. Let me tell you, I had no clue that you weren't Tru. You got me fooled, girl."

I ran up and hugged them. I was so happy to see her. That surprised me. Here I was I had gone through seven years without even thinking about my sister, and now she's here and I'm actually happy to see her.

The others left me with Tru for a little while, getting up and going into the kitchen in order to get everything ready for dinner. 

I talked quietly to her about how Meredith and Harrison were doing. I told her that I thought the hardest part was over, now they needed to maintain control over their addictions. We were going to continue talking about if they were ready to go home, when Lorne interrupted us. 

"Sorry, sweetie. I couldn't help but overhear. I really don't think you should talk about this right now. Meredith and Harrison will tell you when they are ready. For now, I think that they are really happy living here for now. When they are ready to go home, trust me they'll already have their bags packed. I already talked to Angelcakes, he agrees with me. They can stay however long they feel necessary. Now, we have a dinner to make and you are not getting out of making that famous strawberry and apple pie that you always make every year, Faith. No matter how bad you feel. My taste buds are dancing."

"You can make strawberry and apple pie, my mom used to--." Tru started, then trailed off, "You remember my mom's recipe? Oh. Faith, please, please, please, teach it to me? Please?" She began begging like she was a little girl, her hands clasped together and her body bouncing up and down. Her friend, Lindsay thought it was funny and started giggling under her hands. That made the rest of us laugh.

"Yeah. Yeah Yeah. I'll teach it to you, but just as a warning. It's the ONLY thing I can cook or bake. Around here, we let Angel do the cooking, if we expect to come out of the meal alive." That earned another round of giggling. 

I walked into the kitchen, finding Angel and Spike arguing again about how to make a decent roast. I ignored them and went to the fridge to get my supplies for the pie. My head was in the fridge when Wesley came up behind me and asked if he could talk to me and the others privately. It was a 'business matter' that the children and our guests didn't need to hear.

Gunn, Fred, Angel, Cordy, Lorne and I walked back into the Wesley's office behind him. After we had gotten settled in a spot, Wes closed the door. "Ok. You all know that I've been busy translating this prophecy. Now it very hard to translate it. It sounds like a fortune cookie. But it is very concerning. It talks about 'the champion's enemy.'" 

"What about my enemies, Wesley?" Angel interjected, also concerned with this new information.

"The text says the following: 

_In the year of the champion's return._

_The enemy which had taken from the champion_

_Will know pain._

_It will change him, _

_Force him to guide others_

_In the spirit of the light.___

_No longer to hurt _

_Or punishment of threefold _

_Will be upon him.___

Just to make it clear. It's a rough translation. I'm not quit sure as to who or what specifically it speaks of. But it is clear that one of Angel's enemies will switch places in the coming battles. Perhaps, we will gain an ally."

Angel wanted to know more about the prophecy before anything happened. What year were they talking about? Angel hadn't gone anywhere. Maybe it was in the future or something.

Angel and Wesley were getting into it. Fred coming to Wesley's defense when Angel started to yell. Cordy putting her hand out and telling them to stop. "Boys! It's Christmas. We can talk about this later. It's not an evil warning. It's a good warning. A bad guy is going to turn good. It's not like the apocalypse is coming, so relax. Go finish cooking. I can't wait for dinner."

They all calmed down and walked back into the kitchen. Cordy's right. There's no way we're going to figure out what the hell that meant tonight. 

Tonight, is a night for thinking about the year we've had.  This year we've learned how to live, how to forget, and how to forgive without fear. It's been the best Christmas, this year. (*_Lyrics from This Year: by Christina Aguilera_.*)

**The End (With Chapter 3: December)**

**Next: January (**The link may not be up yet… I just put it up in advance**.)**

_How'd you like it? Let me know: Read and Review please. And don't forget to visit my website, Prophecy End._

_Oh… and the Prophecy:_

_In the year of the champion's return._

_The enemy which had taken from the champion_

_Will know pain._

_It will change him, _

_Force him to guide others_

_In the spirit of the light.___

_No longer to hurt _

_Or punishment of threefold _

_Will be upon him.___

_That's for Imzadi…Guess who the 'enemy' is? Or the 'champion' for that matter. I'll try my best to write at least a chapter that details 'the change', but I make no promises. Maybe I'll write it into a separate story instead. Let me know what you think about it. ~**Sensue****.**_


	5. January Connor's POV

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Angel: the series or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer shows or characters. I do however own the characters of Cathy Lucy Angel and Nicholas (Nicky) Wood. No money is exchanging hands. Please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student without a dime. 

_Summary:_ This story is the sequel to Fast Forward. Connor has finally come back home after living in Quar'toth for ten years. Each chapter will focus on a separate character's point of view as Connor adjusts to being back home and living with his family. 

_Pairings_: Angel/Cordy, Faith/Wood, Fred/Wesley, Gunn/OC, Spike/Buffy, later on Connor/Dawn, Anya/Xander, Willow/Kennedy.

The song that inspired this story is This Year by Christina Aguilera. (Click to get the lyrics)

If you want to skip around to other chapters first you can, but they might not be up yet. I just put in the links in advance. They are all separate stories with different points of view.

_PS—I tried on the first chapter to keep it in third person POV, but it was too hard so I switched it to first person. Hopefully it should go a little better than October. Please be patient, it takes time to write these stories._

**This Year**

**By: Sensue**

**Chapter Four: January (Connor's POV)**

_New Year's Eve_

Sometimes I think this dimension sucks. At least when I was in Quar'toth, I didn't have to go to a stupid "New Year's" Picnic in this wooden park.

I have to go, there's no way to get out of it. If dad and/or Spike didn't go, due to the sun, I would've had a good excuse to miss it. You know, wanting to spend more time with dad instead. But Mom and Wesley came up with a plan; they rented one of those concrete shelters at the park and were going to cover three sides of it with heavy burlap so that direct sunlight couldn't enter. Of course, once the sun went down, the burlap could as well. So now, everyone has to come; no exceptions.

The only thing I'm happy about is that Harrison is staying at the hotel until he 'gets his life in order.' So now I have someone to hang out with that isn't old. Harrison didn't seem too excited over this picnic thing either.

I think the only ones overjoyed with this are Nicky and Cathy. They can't wait to go, especially since they get to swim at the beach. Spike is also happy, not much about the picnic, but about who will be at the picnic: Buffy Summers.

Yup. Mom invited the entire "Scooby Gang" to the picnic along with the other slayers this year.

Woohoo! NOT!!!!

I mean, who wants to spend the entire day with tons of little girls. I get enough of playing dolls and tea party with Cathy. I don't need any other trying to 'braid my hair' or anything like that.

So now I have to smile and act like I'm having a great time, so mom won't get disappointed that I'm not having fun. I'd rather be hunting with my new bow and arrow set I got for Christmas. Harrison would completely agree with me. He thinks this place sucks too.

After being waken up at an incredibly early hour, I had to help everyone pack and get ready for the picnic. Since dad couldn't go out in the sun, I was assigned the task of being 'pack-horse' to put the coolers, boxes, toys, and bags into the truck.

Once everything was organized and ready, we all jumped into a car or truck and made our way to the park. Dad and Spike hid in the trunks of the cars until we covered the reserved shelter. Then we spent an hour getting setup, like starting the grill and putting out the appetizers. 

An hour later, a yellow school bus with the words "Watcher's Academy for Gifted Girls" printed on the side, pulled up to the assigned area. A flood of girls poured out of the door of the bus. 

Great they're here! Now everyone was busy talking to each other besides me.

Spike and Buffy sat under the awning making googly eyes at each other and sucking face. Mom was talking with Fred, Anya, Faith, and Meredith. At least Meredith isn't screaming anymore, that was a pain the butt to listen to. Dad was playing chef, grilling hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch. Giles and Wesley started talking about the new Watchers Council. Gunn was talking with Willow, Kennedy, and Andrea. Lorne and this weird guy wearing a tropical colored shirt were driving Dad insane by making cooking suggestions. I think that Dad was going to kill the guy. He said, "Get the hell out of my face Harris, or I'll twist your head right off your body." Dad must really hate the guy. Robin and Harrison went to gather wood for the campfire later tonight, so I was extremely bored sitting in a lounge chair listening to my CDs by myself, eating my lunch.

All of a sudden, a cold drink spilled all over my head and chest. Damn it, that's cold. I looked up and saw a girl my age with a hand over her mouth and an empty cup in the other. Another girl was giggling as she ran past me, yelling "You missed," before she disappeared behind a tree.

"Oh, my God. I'm so sorry. I didn't see you sitting there," the girl said. Then she ran off to get a roll of paper towels. She ripped a couple of sheets off and then started wiping me off before I could stop her.

"I can't believe what a klutz I am. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It's fine." I took over wiping the sod off my clothes and face. I looked up at her again, this time I noticed her face, her body. She was wearing a pink cutoff T-shirt that showed her abs and what tight—abs they are. She was wearing really short denim shorts that showed off really long tanned legs. Her brown hair glittered with blond highlights in the sun. She's really a pretty girl. Hey, maybe this picnic thing wasn't a bad idea after all. I stood up and held my hand out to her. 

"Hi, my name is Connor. What's yours?" The hand placed in my hand was warm, smooth and soft. 

"I'm Dawn. Do you, by any chance want to take a walk to the beach? We can take those little kids over there playing with the ball. I know that they've been crying and begging to go."

"Okay, Dawn." I said her name. It was wonderful. "You're right. Cathy and Nicky, the kids over there are my brother and sister; they really want to go play at the beach. I don't think that my mom and dad would have a problem with us taking them. Let me just go tell my mom, I'll be right back." I ran to mom quickly, telling her of my plans to take Nicky and Cathy to the beach. I didn't tell her about Dawn though. I know mom, she'd make a big deal out of it.

After I talked to my mom, I ran over and got Cathy and Nicky ready to go to the beach.

In all honesty, I don't know what a beach is; just that the kids love it and you can swim there. Dawn walked besides me and the kids as we made our way down the stone walkway following signs pointing to the beach. A couple of times, I caught Dawn looking at me; but every time I wanted to talk to her, she'd look away and then I'd forget what I wanted to say.

So we walked in silence until we reached this—I guess the beach. I can't even describe it. It's big, blue, shining, and…noisy. Kids, in bathing suits were running around playing with the—dirt; I think it's called dirt, right? 

Nicky and Cathy pulled at my pants, begging me, "Please, please, please, Connor, can we go play in the sand and the water?"

"Sand, huh? So that's what it's called. I guess so, just be careful and stay close, okay?"

They barely gave a nod before running off to play. I turned to find Dawn when I caught her undressing. Why is she undressing? I knew that I should turn my head away, but I couldn't help but look. The shirt and shorts came off to reveal the smallest bathing suit that I've ever seen. No one at home ever wear's a bathing suit like that. Mom, Fred, and Faith all have those one-pieces. She turned back to face me, so I had to force my gaze to her face instead of, well, her body.

"Well, are you going to go swimming? Or not?" She asked me. Boy, I'm really lucky that mom went on that shopping spree for me and told me what to wear on this picnic. She specifically told me to wear my swim shorts under my clothes. Lucky she did or I'd be really embarrassed if Dawn saw me in my white briefs.

"Alright," I answered her, "Let's go swimming." I took off my clothes and then held out a hand to her. She grasped it as we ran to the edge of the water. Dawn stopped us right before the water in order to dip her toe in slowly. I, on the other hand, just jumped in and pulled her in with me. 

Dawn cried out in outrage and cold shock. "You jerk! It's cold in here." She started splashing me with water for revenge. I just had to splash back. We played around until she got mad at me and jumped on my back, pushing my head in the water. I swam down to the bottom, near Dawn's feet; since I was so close to her feet, I tickled her.

When I came up for air, she splashed me again, starting off another round of "Water War II." Nicky and Cathy swam over, seeing we were having so much fun, and taught me how to play a fun game called Marco Polo. My eyes were closed as I tracked everyone by sound and smell. I "tagged" them all, winning the game. The other girls/slayers from the picnic soon joined the game as well. I was honored as "Marco Polo Champion" of the day. No one caught me, for I was as fast as my father and I caught all those against me.

While we were having fun playing so called 'water sports,' like Marco Polo, volleyball, and swim races, Harrison, Mom, Faith, Fred, Anya, Anya's baby, and Meredith all walked over to a sunny section of the sand, pulling up lounge chairs in order to soak up the rays. Mom called us over telling us that we forgot our towels in the truck and she brought them with her by the chairs if we needed them. Harrison shed his shorts and T-shirt and jumped in to hang out with us. I introduced him to Dawn and the other girls as we started a new game of volleyball. Boys against girls. Well, let me tell you this, when those slayers put their minds to winning they take no prisoners. Nicky, Harrison, and I were horribly defeated as the team of Dawn and five slayers took us on. Though I must admit, for my own defense, the game was uneven, three boys against six girls; we were outnumbered. Soon, the game was forgotten as everyone started laughing and splashing around.

Weird, it felt like we just got here, but now, the sun is going down.

Faith called us all out of the water, telling us that it was dinner time. I was glad that mom didn't forget the towels. When I got out of the water, the cool air dried against my skin, unusually chilling me. Cathy and Nicky were bundled up and redressed in warmer clothing by the moms. Mom came up to me and asked my how I liked the beach.

I told her that it was great. I'd never had that much fun before, especially with anyone my age. The beach was wonderful. The only question I had was how to get the sand off before it got on all over the clothes. It was very uncomfortable crunching in between my toes. She laughed and pointed to the hose near the showers…I guess that everyone has this problem. Why else would they put a hose there? Right?

I washed the sand off happily, walking back to our shelter. I was hoping to talk to Dawn again, but she was busy talking with Vi and Kennedy by the trees. By the time I had walked over to see if my dad needed anything, the sun had completely gone down. Dad asked me to help take down the covers while he finished the last batch of barbeque chicken.

Boy, Dad had fun with the grill today. He must've made enough food to feed a million people. Not only did he make barbeque chicken, but he made T-bone steaks, ribs, chicken wings, hamburgers and hot dogs. For the vegetarian, he made a vegetable mix of potatoes, green peppers, onions, zucchini, carrots, garlic, and a secret sauce. I was thinking we were going to be eating this for the next week, so I was surprised when there were no leftovers, not even a crumb left over for us to take home! Those girls could eat!

After dinner, the adults seemed to split off into couples, all talking and walking together. Dawn came over to me, her eyes huge, asking me, "You're Angel's son? Why didn't you tell me you were Angel's son?"

"I don't know, why does it matter?" Okay, now I'm confused.

"Because! I'm Buffy's sister! I'm Dawn Summers. That's why!" She was now yelling. What did I do?

"Oh. My Uncle Spike's girlfriend is Buffy. The blond girl, right? That's your sister?"

"Yeah. But…" She tried to interject.

"So what? My uncle's cool. He won't care if we hang out." I don't get it. So what if my uncle's girlfriend is her sister. What's the big deal?

"But my sister will," I heard her mumble under her breath. Okay, now I'm really, really confused. I saw her shake it off, then look at me with a weird look in her eyes.  "Let's go for a walk." She suggested, holding out a hand for me to take. I took it, smiling at her. I really like this girl.

We walked away from all the noise and people to the now empty beach. We walked along the shore. It was so quiet, you could hear crickets chirping. We talked; I told her things that I've never told anyone else, not even Harrison, who was becoming my best friend. I told her the truth; I was Angel and Cordy's son, I wasn't adopted like they told everyone else who wasn't in the family. I told her that I had lived in a hell dimension for ten years. Incredulously, her life story was even stranger than mine. She was theoretically only 4 years old and was made from a big ball of pure energy. Some weird monks made her. I couldn't believe how close I felt to her. I'd just met her, yet I felt as if we'd grown up together.

I was getting really dark, so hand-in-hand, we walked back to the others. They were all standing around a large bon-fire with a glass in hand. We were handed a soft drink and asked to join the circle. Dawn stood next to me.

This was a weird ritual. Lorne, in human makeup, started it by saying that this was a New Years tradition. Each of us had to make a resolution, which was a promise to yourself for the future. 

Lorne told us his resolution, making all of us laugh when he told us that it was to find a decent bartender that could make the prefect sea-breeze. Dad was next, promising to do his best helping the helpless. Mom, who stood next to him, kicked him in the shins, reminding him to softly add, "Oh, and to lose the blood belly." If he could have blushed, he would've. Mom's resolution entailed redecorating the rest of the hotel, taking better care of the kids, and continuing the good fight against evil. 

Spike promised to try to quit smoking cigarettes, at the very least, promising to cut it down to less that a pack a week. Buffy's resolution was to spend more time with her family, directly looking at Dawn when she said this.

Meredith, Willow, and Harrison had the same resolution: to control their addictions and not to allow their addictions to control them.

Fred's resolution didn't make any kind of sense to me. She babbled something scientific about discovering some weird thing she was excited about. Wesley was the only one to understand her, because he promised to help her find the thing. Gunn's resolution was to kill more evil demons who try to suck the world into hell. Andrea, his steady girlfriend, laughed and promised that she'd be his strength, whenever he needed her.

The others went through a wide range of resolutions ranging from finding a boyfriend to learning at least two demon languages and making lots of money using capitalist ideals. Dawn smiled shyly as she told everyone her resolution was to make new friends.

We had almost gone around the entire circle; only Robin, Faith, Cathy, and Nicky, besides me.

Everyone looked at me, waiting to hear my plans for the future. I stood thinking for a minute longer. "My resolution is to understand this world better. To be a good son, to take care of my brother and sister, and to rid the world of evil. Oh…AND WORLD PEACE!"

Laugher sounded through the night air. I knew that'd make them laugh, especially since Spike forced us all to watch "Miss Congeniality" on his new DVD player. It was the only movie that we could all agree to watch, especially since Cathy and Nicky were in the room.

Robin went next promising to try to keep his temper with wayward teenagers, kids, and vampires, glancing at Spike, Harrison and me as he said it.

What! It was only one time! Spike thought would be funny if we stuck ice cubes down his shirt and pants and watch as he jumped around like a bunny. Mrs. Harris didn't think it was funny; climbing up on a picnic table with her baby and telling us bunnies were evil. But what's the fun of a picnic without getting someone really good was Harrison's philosophy. That's one philosophy that I agree with.

Cathy and Nicky were next telling everybody that their resolutions were to read more books and learn more stuff at school. Nicky added that he wanted to be like me when he grew up. Everyone 'awed' at him.

I looked at Faith, subconsciously telling her to hurry up. I was getting sick of standing in this circle. 

Faith actually looked nervous. She was sort of fidgeting and running her hands through her hair. She seemed to calm after Robin put a hand on her shoulder. "Okay, my resolution is to keep fighting the good fight. To work hard for redemption and to be a good wife and a good mother to my children." She stressed this last word. Robin looked at her, puzzled. She smiled, "I'm not going to chase you around the room again. But you knocked me up, AGAIN. We're having a baby!"

The kids were excited. Nicky hugged my knees. "Guess what? I'm going to be the big brother now, Connor. You're my big brother and now I'm can be one too. Yay!"

I hugged him back, really excited for them. Our family is getting really big. 

Soon, Lorne interrupted, doing something called a "count down" to the New Year.

Everyone yelled out, "10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!" Then kisses were exchanged between the couples. 

Dawn did something I didn't expect…she pulled my shirt closer and put my lips to her lips. Our lips touched for a good 30 seconds. It was nice, warm, and it sent tingles down my—spine.

When she pulled away, we were both speechless. I stared at her; my eyes not seeing anyone other than her. That's until I got smacked in the back of the head by Spike. 

The spell was broken as Buffy grabbed her sister by the wrist pulling her away, yelling something about 'boys are bad!'

Dad looked uncomfortable. Mom told Dad that it was time for 'the talk.' Then they spent twenty minutes softly arguing about who was going to give me the talk.

Boy! Parents are weird.

All and all this New Year's thing was the best holiday yet.

Now, I know that Dawn has to leave to go back to school in Rome, but I wish she could stay. She's definitely one of the perks of living in this dimension. One of the best.

But I know that one day, we'll meet again.

_Three weeks later…_

Meredith decided that it was time for her to leave and try to get back her life. She moved back to San Francisco with her sister, Tru until she could get another job as a lawyer. Harrison has decided to stay, for now. He said that he didn't know what else to do with himself and that if he went with Meredith, he wasn't sure if he could stay away from the temptations in his old city. Dad agreed to house him for the duration of his stay and to continue to work with him on controlling the urge to gamble with his life. 

I'm happy that he decided to stay, but I don't understand why I can't tell Harrison about demons. If he knew about them, he could help me fight them. But I promised my parents that I wouldn't tell him, so I couldn't.

But just because I promised that I wouldn't talk about them didn't mean that I couldn't fight them myself. I still snuck out of the house, almost every night without my parents finding out in order to hunt the evil that haunt the streets. I tied my weapons against my body as I jumped out of my window into the dark alleys near the house. 

I wandered the streets looking for any signs of demon activity or screams of people in trouble. I knew exactly where my dad and Uncle Spike patrolled nightly, listening in on their meetings before leaving, so I made sure that I stayed clear of those areas. I hunted every night, each time I hunted; I became faster and stealthier. Every night, I fought the forces of darkness, and every morning before dawn, I snuck back into my room so that no one was the wiser of my adventures.

I don't know why I do it; just that I have to. The hunt calls to me. In Quar'toth, I rarely slept; Four hours the maximum for the entire day. The demons who lived there would attack when least expected, so it was necessary to sleep with one eye open. If you didn't, there was no way to live through the night. At least in this dimension, I don't have to hunt for food. Strange, but if you give people behind a counter green paper, you can buy whatever you want. Mom taught me about money. She loves it, especially since she can take me shopping.

She also gave me what they, my parents, called 'the talk.' Dad found a way to get out of it, I'm sure. So mom sat me down and told me about kissing, good touches, bad touches, and sex. She didn't really describe it; telling me that it was instinctual and that when I was ready, I'd know what to do. She also told me that she wanted me to wait until I found the right woman and was married; she told me the truth. That she didn't wait for my dad, but now wished with all her heart that she did. She didn't make me promise, instead telling me that she trusted me to make my own decisions. She also told me about the risks of unprotected sex; creating a baby, getting fatal disease, the dangers caused by girls who could lie about their ages, and other things I never have heard of before.

I'm glad mom told me, knowing dad, he would've stammered through the whole thing or fainted on the word sex. Mom told me once that when I was a baby, dad used to cover my ears if anyone said the word and would spell it out if he himself had to say it.

Now, I wonder what dad would say if he found out about my nightly hunts. It could go either way, he could be happy; telling everyone that 'I'm a chip of the old block.' Or he could just scream about how it was dangerous and that I could've been killed or something. I mean, never mind that I've been hunting every day since I was seven.

That's why I didn't think anything of it when I heard Harrison sneak out before me tonight. I figured that it wasn't my business to try to stop him. I just hope that he doesn't get himself, or me, caught. I snuck out a few minutes after him, deciding to quietly follow him. Maybe he found a really cool place to hang out or something. I had followed him about fifteen blocks from the Hyperion to a bar. 

Harrison sat down at the bar and ordered a beer. I tried beer once. It's disgusting; I don't know how people can drink it. I don't know why people drink it.  It didn't look like he was going anywhere, so I left him to continue on my patrol of the neighborhood around the bar. 

Walking around the bar and the surrounding areas didn't take long. It was a quiet evening. I looked at my watch; it read 4:45 am. The bars around here closed forty five minutes ago. It was almost time to get home, but before I made my way back, I had to get Harrison. There was no way that I could sneak into the Hyperion before him and let him get caught. Mom woke up at exactly 6:00 am to get breakfast, something usually toastable ready for everyone. If we didn't hurry, we were both going to get caught.

I ran back to the bar that I'd left Harrison in, hearing something in the back alley. Harrison and this incredibly gorgeous woman were in the back, kissing and touching each other…making out is what mom called it. I didn't know what to do; if I should interrupt or if I should just leave him. No, I couldn't leave him…We really had to leave. 

I slowly inched my way closer to them, hoping to jar them before they started anything else. The woman, she—Well, I got a weird feeling off of her. She was kissing him, but she always went back to Harrison's neck, licking him there. They suddenly turned, so I caught sight of her face. 

SHIT! She's a vampire. I yelled, "Harrison! Run!" I pulled out one of the stakes I always carried.

Harrison didn't run. Instead turning back around, and yelling back at me, "Connor, what the hell are you doing here? Can't you see that I'm busy." He ignored my warnings, turned to look at the woman. What he saw caused him to start screaming. "What the hell! What are you?"

The vampire, in full vamp face answered him, "I'm a vampire, sweetie. And you are my dinner." She lunged at him, trying to bite him. I jumped on her, pulling her away from Harrison. Again, I yelled at him to run. This time he listened, only to be caught by the other four vampires who blocked the alleyway. Four male vampires. Shit!

"And I'm the Destroyer. You all better run or the only thing that _you will be is dust_." I threatened her, hoping that it would work and that they'd run away from us. We were outnumbered and Harrison didn't know how to fight them. I only had one stake and a tazer with me. They didn't run, instead attacking us. The woman scratched my face, becoming like a wild animal. There was no logic or reason behind her fight; she was just attacking. Behind me, Harrison was forced down to his knees by the vampires that over powered him.

I had finally gained the upper hand on the vampire. I staked her right through the heart. As she burst into dust, I turned to fight the other four vampires, hoping to at least help Harrison escape the alleyway to call for help. I charged at them using my speed and strength to startle them. It didn't work. One stayed to guard Harrison, while the other three surrounded me. I was quick, dodging and ducking their punches and kicks. I really thought I was doing well under the circumstances. I staked the one closest to me, but had failed to notice the vampire behind me had picked up one of the trash cans until it hit me in the head. It was full of half empty beer bottles and cans of other drinks. I went down like a ton of bricks. The liquid from the can splashing me in the face. The smell of alcohol completely clogging my sense of smell temporarily. 

I was dazed, felt lightheaded, and imbalanced, but I did feel the sting of teeth against my neck. Shit, I thought, I'm going to die. The fucking vampire is going to kill me. Suddenly, instead of the pain of getting my blood sucked out, I felt the weight above me lift and the dust he'd become stroke my face. I opened my eyes knowing that Dad and/or Uncle Spike were going to be pissed. I heard the thuds of feet hitting the ground at an incredible rate; the other two must've ran away.

It wasn't dad. Instead, a man with medium length brown hair wearing tattered clothing held out his hand to me. I grasped it, thanking him for the rescue. Who was he? I had never seen him before and yet he knew about vampires enough to stake them. I looked over to where Harrison lay on the ground; he looked okay, even if he was sort of shell-shocked. 

The man spoke to us, "You boys should know better to be walking dark alleys by yourselves in this city." He spoke with a soft southern accent. 

"Who are you? And how did you do that?" I asked. I mean, the guy staked a vampire. Not a big deal in my family, but he wasn't in my family.

"Let's just say I'm a friend for now. I'm here to help those in need, whether I want to or not. I'll be around, so try not to get into any trouble, you two." The man walked away with a limp. Whatever happened to the guy, he must've hurt both legs, because the way he walked definitely showed it. 

As he walked away, I became more and more curious about the man. Who was this mysterious stranger? How did he know that we were in trouble? And why did he say 'whether he wanted to or not.' 

I turned to help Harrison up. He still looked shocked. I pulled him up on his feet then put a hand against his face to direct it towards me. "Hey, Harrison. You okay?"

"What the FUCK is going on? She was a—a Vampire. A real life vampire. And you, you fought her. How'd you do that?" Harrison fired questions at me. His face was starting to turn red, becoming flushed and agitated. 

"Yeah. Vampires, demons, and other forces of darkness exist. I fight them along with the rest of Angel Investigations. And if we don't get home right now, we're going to meet some of them. My parents are going to kill us. And they're going to kill me for telling you about them. Come on I'll tell you everything along the way." I grabbed his arm, pulling him along the street, walking as fast as possible to get home. 

"So you're saying that YOUR DAD and UNCLE SPIKE are VAMPIRES. No fucking way. I don't believe you. And your mom and Uncle Lorne are demons. Yeah right. And then you'll tell me that my sister is a witch or something. You're nuts," Harrison argued, clearly not believing me. 

There was no time to explain further I argued back, pulling him along the back alley of the hotel. We had finally made it to the Hyperion. Thank god it was still dark. We both made it without getting caught. 

I made him climb the fire escape ahead of me, telling him to keep quiet. "We made it," I whispered, "They have no clue that we snuck out." I opened the window to my room that I left cracked open for us to climb into. Harrison ducked through the opening, covertly entering my room. "Just sneak into your room. No one will find out," I whispered from outside.

After Harrison, I climbed through the small opening only to collide with Harrison's back when I tried to stand up. I gently pushed him out of the way, ready to yell at him for being in my way, when my breath caught in my throat. 

"SHIT!" The word came out of my mouth before I had a chance to muffle it. There, right in my room, were my parents and my aunts and uncles, all with their arms crossed over their chests.

My dad came out from the shadowy corner he stood, seemly taller than I remembered him being. "Nice night out for a walk? Couldn't sleep? Because I'd really like to hear your excuses. You both smell like you drowned in liquor. I'd like an explaination! RIGHT NOW!"

I looked at Harrison who stared at me with eyes reminiscent of that deer-in-the-headlight thing I've heard so much about. I tried to think of something plausible, but nothing came to mind. 

Mom stood up from her place on my bed. Her eyes were angry, dashing from me to Harrison and back to me. She looked as if she was going to start yelling at us, until she saw the cuts on my face caused by the beer bottles. She came closer to me, her nose wrinkling as she took in my scent. Mom is really quick. She suddenly reached out her fingers and clamped it on both of our ears. Pulling us, by our ears, she sat the both of us down on the edge of my bed. 

"You both better stay here. I'm going to get the first aid kit to clean you up. I want to know what you both were doing out at," she looked at the clock above my dresser, "three o'clock in the morning and I want the truth. Got it?" She walked, or actually stalked out my room is more accurate. 

I really wished that she'd hurry back. Dad was pacing the room, mumbling something while running his hands through his hair. Spike chewed his cigarette…I guess the resolution got put on hold, huh? Faith was looking fairly dangerous, luckily choosing to stare at her wayward half-brother than me. Robin looked severe, even when wearing boxer shorts with red hearts on them. 

Lorne, Fred, Wesley, Andrea, and Gunn, looking exceedingly annoyed with us, waited until my mom got back with the first aid kit to leave the room, obviously thinking that the others could handle us.

Mom dabbed at the cuts on my face, as I told them the entire story. That I had snuck out after Harrison to see where he went, finding him being attacked by a vampire. Being attacked by the vampire's four friends and then about the mysterious man who saved us. Hey there's no need to tell them that I do this every night…I mean, it'll just make them worry. It's not really that important.

They listened intensely to every detail that I uttered. Everyone was worried; Harrison now knew about the darkness that threatened the world on a nightly basis. They also wanted to know more about this man who saved us. I tried my best to describe him, but the small details escaped me in the rush to return home. I didn't remember much about him, just that he had dark hair and what he told us. 

Dad and Faith looked like they would lecture us for hours; mom stopped him, telling him to let us rest. Then she turned around and proceeded to give us _her_ lecture on safety and yelling at us for not telling them where we were going. 

By the time they left us alone, it was noon. Harrison had made his way to his own room to crash, while I lay down on my bed, rolling my eyes at the ceiling.

I don't know what my parents worry so much about. It wasn't like it was the end of the world or anything like that.  

_A week later_…

I woke up from my afternoon nap in time to help Nicky and Cathy off the school bus and spent some time helping them with their homework. The others seem to have lightened up now. They stopped lecturing me on calling before I leave, even going so far to give me and Harrison cell phones in case we got in trouble. Dad stopped trying to take me to hockey games in order to have father-son talks and mom stopped trying to examine me every time I walked into a room. Jeez, a person gets hurt once and mom baby's them forever. Harrison had a harder time getting Faith off his back. After he explained that he didn't sneak out to play cards, she seemed to lighten up on him. 

It's taken a week, but I think that I can risk sneaking out to hunt tonight. I climbed out of my window; this time making sure not even a mouse was disturbed as I opened the window. One foot already through, I ducked my head out, and pulled my other leg through. 

Fucking Shit! I put my hand to my heart. It was suddenly pounding twice its normal speed. Right in front of me was Harrison; completely dressed in black with wooden stakes tied on to his thighs, like a sword sheath. 

He smiled at me, his white teeth glowing as the light of the moon touched them, "Wanna' go hunt down some evil demons?"

I had gained my equilibrium. I responded with my own smile. "Let's go kick some demon ass." I clasped his hand in mine shaking it with a fervor. 

This was going to be great. Harrison would back me up, guard my back, and teach me how to get girls too. I'd teach him how to kill demons, stake vampires, and sneak back in the house without anyone realizing we were gone. All in all, it was the start of a great partnership.

The end of chapter four: January.

Next: Chapter Five: February (Wesley's POV)

NOTES: _Hope you like this chapter. Let me know what you thought about it. _

_I didn't want anyone (Angel Investigations) to know about Connor's hunts because they all still believe that the Prophecy is talking about the Champion: Angel. They don't even know about Connor, the Destroyer from Quar'toth, yet. He hasn't told anyone about that little nickname, just yet._

_The mystery man will be soon revealed as the man in the Prophecy. Try to guess who._

_I bet you didn't see Faith's surprise coming, did you? I was thinking while I wrote December…the symptoms that she had could be from something else; pregnancy._

_If anyone has got any suggestions for baby names, let me know. ( angelcordyfan@yahoo.com ) I'm currently thinking that it should be another boy…but I can be persuaded to change my mind. _

_Thanks for reading. Now, please review, even if all you have to say is:  it's good or it's bad. I'd appreciate any review._

_Sensue___


	6. February Wesley's POV

**_Disclaimer_:** I do not own Angel: the series or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer shows or characters. I do however own the characters of Cathy Lucy Angel and Nicholas (Nicky) Wood. No money is exchanging hands. Please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student without a dime. 

**_Summary_**_:_ This story is the sequel to Fast Forward. (_Sorry, I spelled Lindsey's name wrong. It's Lindsey with an 'e' not 'a'_.) Connor has finally come back home after living in Quar'toth for ten years. Each chapter will focus on a separate character's point of view as Connor adjusts to being back home and living with his family. 

**_Pairings_**: Angel/Cordy, Faith/Wood, Fred/Wesley, Gunn/OC, Spike/Buffy, later on Connor/Dawn, Anya/Xander, Willow/Kennedy.

The song that inspired this story is This Year by Christina Aguilera. (Click to get the lyrics)

If you want to skip around to other chapters first you can, but they might not be up yet. I just put in the links in advance. They are all separate stories with different points of view.

**_Rating_**: PG-13 to R for Language. Mostly the F word. I use some other bad language, but nothing you probably haven't heard anywhere else.

**This Year**

**By: Sensue**

**Chapter Five: February **

**(Wesley's POV) x-over with Tru Calling (Harrison Davies)**

_Hyperion Hotel (Wesley's office)_

_            In the year of the champion's return. _

_            The enemy which had taken from the champion_

_            Will know pain. _

_            It will change him, _

_            Force him to guide others_

_            In the spirit of the light._

_            No longer to hurt _

_            Or punishment of threefold _

_            Will be upon him._

I have read the bloody thing, perhaps over a hundred times and yet, I am still no closer to deciphering its actual meaning. Angel has been pressuring me to find out as much information as possible regarding the Prophecy. Alas, I haven't been able to find anything pertaining to it, besides this passage.

Of course, it's understandable; Angel has been very stressed as of late, worrying about his teenaged son and charge that both snuck out while we slept. Angel has confided in me that he worried his son may be getting himself in trouble. I've told him that, due to his young age and experiences, it would be quite a while before Connor will settle down enough to feel comfortable in this new world and to talk to us about his experiences in Quar'toth. 

Harrison, I feel has been a good influence on Connor. Now, Connor has a peer, a friend that he can confide in. And vice versa, Connor has helped calm Harrison, giving him someone to care for, who will look up to him and imitate his behavior, one that didn't revolve around gambling. It's unfortunate that Harrison had to learn the truth about the real horrors that this world has to offer. 

There are times in which I wish that I was unaware of the demons, witches, slayers, and hell dimensions that exist here. When the forces of darkness didn't enter my thoughts, my nightmares, in fact. But, regrettably, I was a Watcher's son; his only son, in fact, and I was required to maintain the highest degree of professionalism and knowledge about all things related to the slayer; including all of her possible enemies. 

I was forced, unwillingly into a mold no one could fill by my father and when I failed at that impossible task, I was punished and ridiculed. At least at Angel Investigations, my attempts are as rewarded as my accomplishments. At least, I have help. I have friends. And I have Fred.

Fred, her very name brings a smile to my face. Even with her wild ideas and inventions, she never ceases to amaze me. I've never had an absolute source of unending encouragement and support before her. I don't know what I would do without her, which is why as I look at the diamond ring enclosed in its velvet box, I am going to ask her to marry me. 

The question becomes how; I am by nature, a shy person who is easily flustered when confronting others with my true feelings. I don't know what the bloody hell I'm going to say or do in order to talk her into marrying me. So I did what any other man facing this dilemma did, I asked for advise. 

Asking the women I work with for advice is out of the question. They would inevitably hint my intensions to Fred. Women had ways of communicating with each other about these sorts of things that do not require actual words; more like giving each other a look. Fred especially is aware of her surroundings; for example she knew of Cordy and Angel's love, or kye-rumption/ moira as she would say, for each other.  I do have a theory that women can't read their own men, rather being able to see the other men and their intentions towards their relationships better. Cordy had no clue that Angel loved her, yet she knew that I had feelings for Fred. Strange, this women's intuition. I hope that my hypothesis is proved correct because I don't want Fred to know of my plans until I actually 'pop the question.'

First, I went to Angel. After all, he's married; he'll know what to do. When I asked him to tell me how he asked Cordy to marry him, he gave me the strangest look.

"Wes. You were there when I asked Cordy to marry me, remember the soul binding rings ceremony." Angel reminded me. 

"As I recall Angel, you asked Cordy to marry you in an abandoned railroad quarry near some warehouses. Not the most romantic of places. And you had demon guts still on you from the fight with those demons we fought earlier that evening." Angel had a distant look on his face, a small smile forming at the thought of his wedding ceremony. Angel and Cordy didn't have an engagement period, they went directly to the altar, figuratively speaking of course, or Angel would've burst into flames. 

The look quickly passed as the insult was understood, "Hey, It was romantic. I asked her during someone else's wedding. Lots of women think that it's a great place for a proposal, you know, so your friends can be extremely jealous and stuff."

I gave him a glare; the man clearly has no notion of romance. "It was a demon wedding! And Cordelia's friends from high school weren't even there. It was just us, the family."

He gave me an equally poignant glare, then in that childish tone that he sometimes assumes when arguing with Spike, argued, "Yeah. But she DID say yes, SO THERE!"

"Yes. But that doesn't help me in the least. After all I'm not going to crash a demon lair and hope that they're in a happy, romantic mood." I left the room, leaving Angel standing there contemplating his spontaneity and romanticism.  

There is no bloody way in hell that I'm going to ask Robin Wood for advice, either. It took the man _five years_ to talk Faith into accepting his proposal. I'm willing to wait until Fred is ready, of course, but I really don't want to wait that long for a positive response. 

Now, I'm down to asking Gunn or Lorne for their help. Though, I think that I'll only ask Lorne as a last resort. Not that I don't think that Lorne would help me, on the contrary, I believe that he'll be the best person to ask when it comes to what women want. The only problem is that everything he feels is clearly written on his face. He doesn't have a poker face…the girls would see through him in a moment. They'll know he's hiding something and then talk him into spilling his guts, especially Cordy. She always has to know everything: "know all, see all" is her motto. The man simply isn't capable of deception, even if it's a wonderful surprise.

So, I decided to go Gunn first, in hope finding some of my answers. How in the world am I going to ask her to marry me? What will make Fred the happiest woman on earth?

Unfortunately, once I instigated a conversation with Gunn, he turned the tables on me and told me that he needed my help, instead. Not only had the man already bought his girlfriend, Andrea an engagement ring, but he had also reserved a restaurant and hotel room located on of the more touristy and classy areas of L.A. so that he could asked her to marry him tonight. He wanted my advice. I tried my best to help him, but I suspect the only thing he needed was encouragement and acknowledgement that his decision was sound. I told him to follow his heart; that it would work out if he willed it. 

In a way, I wish I was like Gunn. Spontaneous, able to react at any moment to anything that arises, including love. When the man wants something with all of his heart, he works for it and almost always gets it. He found his true love in Andrea, and now, without any signs of hesitation or doubt, he was going for it…the dream of a family, starting with marriage.

Gunn left the hotel this evening in a wonderful mood. Every inch of him was smiling. He dressed handsomely in his black tuxedo, and went out to meet the limousine that he rented especially for the evening in front of the hotel. From there on, he would go on to surprise Andrea with the limo, then after a lovely exotic dinner, would ask for her hand.

I sat in my office, head in hand, trying my best to come up with a similar plan. Isn't it funny how I can come up with the most intricate and decisive attack plan, yet I am unable to think of a single bloody original romantic idea that will end in Fred agreeing to marry me. 

Well, maybe I could ask her to marry me in her favorite Taco stand. No…that wouldn't work. Hell, my plans will end up with me being slapped or something equally embarrassing. Bloody hell, I hit my head on the desk a few times. I'm such a wanker. 

"Not that I bloody well care, but why are you damaging the desk?" The British accent sounded extremely bored and unconcerned. The blond vampire stood at the doorway, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. 

"Spike, what do you want? And I thought you were going to give up the cigarettes." I didn't bother to look up at him. I truly couldn't care.

"I lied," he answered, "and I don't want anything. I'm bored and thought it might be entertaining to make fun of you. Head Boy," he added off the top of his head. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and tucked it behind his ear. 

God, the Head Boy remarks are getting stale. "Well, can't you see I'm busy? Go annoy Angel or something." I wished him away. Mentally forcing him out of the office and to my occupied thoughts.

He didn't leave. Of course, he didn't leave. The bloody idiot lives to annoy the hell out of us. "Well, I would, but I'm getting bored with messing with Peaches too. But seriously, what are you doing? Pretend that I care." He came into the office now, pulled up a chair and sat across from me. He actually seemed interested. 

Unfortunately, by now, I was plenty aggravated, not only by Spike but with myself. I wanted to purge myself of my insecurities and fears; Spike was the only one in the room to listen to my rants. "If you must know, I was planning on asking Fred to marry me. But, now just don't know if I can." I put my hands flat on my desk, practically launching out of my chair to then pace the office. "I honestly don't know how to ask the girl without making a complete blubbering fool out of myself. She's not going to say yes. Why would she? She deserves better; I mean, she's a brilliant scientist and what am I? I'm the group researcher. Big deal, I bloody well can read! I don't have anything to offer her. I don't know what I was thinking!" I pulled the jewelry box out of my pocket, looking at it once more, and then throwing it on my desk. 

Spike slowly reached over the desk to pick up the box. He opened it to look at Fred's ring. He whistled when he saw it, "Wow, so Angel must pay you for every book you read then, because he doesn't pay me this much. This is quite a piece of rock. None of my friends have a rock this big. Fred'll love it. That is, if you ever get the stones to ask her to marry you." _[I loved that line…B:tvs, Season 2: Becoming Part I.~Sensue]_

What in bloody hell was he talking about! "It's not about that. It's about not being good enough for a woman like that. A woman like Fred." I stopped my frantic pacing to throw myself back into the chair I had abandoned. 

Unexpectedly, Spike put his head closer to mine, his hand indicating that he wanted me pull my head towards his, as if he was going to tell me a secret. "If you feel like that, then you will never get the girl. You'll never be good enough for her, because that's what you'll think. Let me tell you a story about this guy I knew." He pulled his head away, leaning back against his chair to get comfortable.

"Now, this boy was a lot like you, shy, not really sure of himself at first. Well, all of that changed when he met the woman of his dreams. He loved her. He loved her so much that he risked public ridicule to tell her his feelings for her. Even wrote her poetry and all of that fluffy lovey dovey stuff."

Alright, perhaps, Spike can help me. He does have a hundred years of experience in dealing with women. Of course, the woman he spent most of that time with was a complete loon. Though, he might be able to give me a few pointers. "What happened? Did the boy end up with the girl after he confessed his love for her and his intentions to marry her?"

He shifted in his seat, "Well, no, the girl told him that he was beneath her and told him off, publicly humiliating him so that everyone laughed in his face and made him run off crying." His eyes became distant, "Of course, that same girl who turned him down ended up as a Vengeance Demon, who protected unwanted and uncared for children, for some weird reason." He snapped out of it, looking back at me, "That's not the point though; the point is that he wasn't shy about his feelings for her. He told her how he felt, didn't let fear hold him back from telling her." [_The girl is, of course, Cecily or Hallie, the Vengeance Demon. B:tvs: Season 5:  Fool for Love. _]

I wasn't sure if I could take that sort of risk, "But if she hurt him…"

"Bullocks! Get over it! Be a man and get some stones! Just ask Fred, she'll say yes. Just keep pestering her until she does, you know like Robin did with Faith. Hopefully, it won't take you that long for an answer. God, you act like she's not worth a little risk. If you love her, then love her enough to try. If you're just going to give up, then let her go. Let her find someone else, someone who isn't afraid of commitment. God, I wish that I had half a chance to be Buffy right now. It's just not our time. She has to lead the other slayers. Of course, my duty is to redeem my soul and to protect the bits. I just can't leave Cathy and Nicky, or even Connor or Harrison for that matter, and go to Europe. I have to stay here now. I've got responsibilities; A calling, helping the helpless and all that, now. You, well, you can just hightail it whenever you want. You don't have anything holding you back. You can have the life that you want. It's up to you. You can stay here, in your dusty old, book filled office, or you can get out, and spend the rest of your life with the woman you love. I mean, you're a bloody fool. You risk your life everyday! Everyday! For people you don't even know. Are you telling me that you're not man enough to risk your heart in love? Come on now, it's not rocket science. Don't think! Just do what your heart tells you."  Spike spoke as if he was giving some sort of a sermon. Yelling at me to get the point across. 

I think that it worked. Strange, but every word that Spike uttered entered my heart as if he shot it with an arrow. He's right, I need to do this. I can do this. I can ask Fred to marry me. I can tell her that I love her, that I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I have nothing to lose but my heart and I don't need my heart to research demons. I only need it to love her. If she says no, I will go on living my life like I always have. Alone, with my books, reading about prophecies, demon lore, slayer history, and their effects on our world. If she says yes, then I will be the happiest man on earth. I will live my life trying to show her how much I love her. Perhaps we could start a family; or just spend time together as husband and wife. 

But still, "Alright, I'll ask her to marry me. Now I know what I'm going to tell her: I'm going to tell her everything that I feel for her. But I still need help with the details. When and where do I ask her? It has to be perfect; I want her to remember it for as long as she lives." 

Spike looked at me blankly, shaking his head after a few minutes. He started mumbling something about me being a bloody idiot under his breath. "You bloody stupid wanker! God! Do I have to tell you everything? Think! What is the most romantic holiday of the entire year?"

I looked at him questioningly. "Spike, what the hell are you talking about?" 

"Alright. You're supposed to be the genius of our group. Help us all…What's February 14?"

"Huh? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's the American Valentine's Day, you ponce! Valentine's Day is in about two weeks, you can ask her that night. She'll be swept off her feet. Just tell her how you feel, like you just told me, but, I don't know, why don't you write her a poem or something?"

"A poem? I can't write poetry." 

"What do you mean, you can't write poetry? You can write a hundred page paper on the rituals of the donkey demons if Angel asked you, but you can't write a half page poem. Come on!"

Of this, I was serious. Never in my life had anyone asked me to write poetry. I had no idea where to start. "Listen, I don't know if this is true or not, but I heard Angel say once that you used to write poetry. Can you help me? Please, Spike?"

He studied me, reading my body language, as if he was afraid that I'd use that information to blackmail him. I know for a fact that Spike lives off of his reputation as William the Bloody. He hates to be envisioned as a 'Nancy Boy' as he puts it. I mentally promised him that I wouldn't tell anyone of his help. It will be our little secret. 

"Alright… I'll help you, but if you tell anyone that I helped you, I'll rip your head off and shove it up your ass. And don't think I'm just joking, I've actually done it to people before." Then he instructed me to get a notebook and pencil to write down ideas for the poem. He called it brainstorming. I called it a waste of perfectly good paper. I must've thrown out thirty pieces of paper in the trash trying to get something to sound right.

Finally, he just stopped me, "You know, you're right, you can't even bloody write a poem. I'll write it for you, just don't strain yourself." He took another sheet of paper, closed his eyes in concentration. After about five minutes of silently rehearsing the poem in his mind, he started writing it down on paper. 

_Winifred,_

_Your love,_

_ its shimmering effervescence _

_Calls to my heart,_

_Entrapped to be yours alone_

_For no one else can touch it,_

_Hidden in a chest.___

_The key…_

_Yours, _

_To have and hold, _

_Opens the chest_

_And gives you my heart,_

_Forever.___

As I read Spike's work, I feeling of awe came over me. It was beautiful. Fred would love it. 

I've got the ring. I've got the poem. I've got a new attitude on love and I've got two weeks to plan the most romantic proposal in history.

_Two weeks later…(Valentine's Day)_

_8:00 am_

Today is the day that I'm finally going to ask Fred to marry me. I've already arranged all of the tiny details: the restaurant, music, and the ring are in proper order. All I need now is Fred to make me the happiest man on the planet.

Fred is completely unaware of my intensions, believing that we are merely going out to dinner on Valentine's Day; to spend a night alone together. I've tried very hard to keep my nervousness and excitement concealed until I'm ready to ask her. 

She is sitting in the kitchen, right now, having a cup of coffee and chatting happily with Cordy, Faith, and Andrea about Andrea's upcoming wedding. The girls have already looked through countless bridal magazines and discussed everything from the dresses to the cake and evaluated the pros and cons of each product. Andrea had already decided that Cordy, Faith, and Fred were going to be her bridesmaids along with her sister and her cousin, who were planning on coming to town to help with the wedding. The problem that they faced was getting into an agreement about the color, style, and length of the gowns. Each woman had a different idea of fashion, thus the mini-argument between them. 

Soon, Fred will be making the same sort of plans for our wedding day. I can picture her in Andrea's place, practically glowing with joy and excitement. I take a deep breath, yes, it's going to happen. I can do this and she'll say 'yes.' 

"Good Morning, ladies. I trust you all slept well?" I walked into the kitchen to interrupt the squabbling, leaning in to kiss Fred on the cheek. "Good morning, Fred." 

Her face lights up, warming my heart, filling me with a sense of calm and certainty. "Good morning, Wes. Isn't it a beautiful day? We're so lucky that we have the day off today. Now we can spend it outside instead in the office researching or something like that. Hey, maybe we can even go to the beach or the amusement parks or something fun like that before dinner?" Fred looked at me, hopefully. 

I can't help to smile back at her, "Of course, it's our day off. We can do whatever we like. Although, I was hoping—."

The thundering roar of footsteps practically flying down the stairs cut my words off, making me forget what I was planning on saying. "Hey, mom. Hey, Fred. Faith. Andrea. Uncle Wes." The boys are awake. They run into the kitchen, like a homing beacon to a tracking device, Connor and Harrison go directly to the food. Andrea had already prepared breakfast, for a change, instead of Angel. Gunn, Robin, Nicky, and Cathy, always woke up early to get ready for work and school. Their day started before the others even woke. Connor and Harrison pick up dishes, which they fill completely with eggs, toast, bacon, hash browns, and pancakes then sitting down to stuff it in their mouths as fast as humanly possible. You'd think that they'd been starved for years. 

Cordy had gotten up, poured me a cup of coffee, and fixed me a plate of my own. Cordy was in a wonderful mood, she looked at me playfully, "Wesley, if you were planning on eating anything, I figured I better save you some before the non-stop-eating-machines over here finished everything off." I laughed. 

"Thank you, Cordy. I truly appreciate that. If they were locus, they might leave crumbs. But alas, eighteen year old boys leave no survivors." I drink my coffee, hiding my mirth at the two. They looked up, giving us their innocent faces. 

"Who us? You must be talking about someone else," Harrison inserted, "I have no clue what you're talking about. Do you, Connor?" Connor his mouth stuffed with an entire pancake just shook his head 'no.'

We finished the rest of our breakfast quietly joking with each other as not to disturb the remaining members of the family still asleep upstairs. Angel and Spike usually never got up until mid-afternoon, while Lorne just liked to sleep in.

After the boys finished absorbing the food, they announced that they were going to spend the entire day on the beach and in the various stores that lined it. Connor kissed his mother and told her not to wait up for them. They were going to be later than usual. She reminded him to keep his cell-phone on, just in case and to have fun at the beach. 

I'm glad the boys have made friends at the beach. Connor needed to get out more, to spend more time having fun with humans his own age, instead of surrounding himself in violence that seemed to always to find all of us in our field of work. Angel Investigations has become extremely well known in Los Angeles. That a good thing and a bad thing. It's a good thing because our business is booming with clients who walk in, instantly knowing that we can solve their problems. And it's a bad thing because, not only is Wolfram and Hart still trying to destroy all of our hard work, but demons are starting to band together in attempt to defeat us, especially the Slayer and the Vampires with a Soul. 

As of yet, they are drawing blanks. Those at Angel Investigations are a mighty force to be reckoned with. We don't easily give in to the forces of darkness. It's sort of a moto.

Lorne pops his head in the kitchen, yawning and complaining about the noise. He says that the boys are louder than a herd of elephants; he can't sleep anymore. Andrea starts talking of stopping by one of the bridal shops. Cordy jumps at the chance to go shopping and talks Faith into coming with them, pleading with Lorne to watch the door for clients for them. He agrees, but makes Andrea promise him that he could pick out the music for the wedding. She laughs at him, "Lorne, I wouldn't have anyone else even think of touching the music. I would actually love it if you would sing."

I laugh; Lorne jumps up and down, shouting in joy…If I remember correctly from our 'visit' to Plyea, he was actually doing the dance of joy. He ran over to Andrea, picked her up, and spun her around excitedly. "Thank you, Thank You, Thank you. I can't believe this. I'm so excited. I get to sing at your wedding. I'm your wedding singer. And you don't have to worry about anything. It will be perfect. Thank you, sweetie. I love you, now. If you ever want to go for a second husband, I'm your demon," he jokes.

A couple of minutes later, Fred and I were the only two in the kitchen. It's funny, but somehow it felt intentional. Oh, well, we might as well take advantage of it. It doesn't happen often. Funny, as Fred's mouth claimed mine, she must've read my mind.

_6:30 pm—Dante's Restaurant. _

What a wonderful day. This may be the happiest day of my life and looking into Fred's eyes as we sit in this gorgeous restaurant, it may be hers as well. We spent the entire day together, holding hands, talking, shopping around. We even walked to the beach, dipping our feet in the water as we waded in the surf. 

Now, it's time, I thought, listening to the soft violins playing a romantic piece. I put my hand in my pocket, feeling the box I had hidden there. "Fred, this has been such a wonderful evening. I really don't want it to end. We've been through a lot together, getting to this point. But I just wanted to tell you that I, I love you, Fred." 

Her eyes got misty, "Oh, Wesley, I love you, too." She put her hands out for me to take. I reached out for her, feeling her warm hands against mine. I hope she doesn't mind that mine are sweaty. 

"Fred, I just, well…" I was starting to get flustered now. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm myself and remember exactly how and what I was going to say. I pulled out the poem that Sp—I had written. "I wrote you a poem."

"Wesley, you wrote me a poem? Oh, that's so sweet. The last time someone wrote me a poem I was in the first grade." My stomach dropped. I'm such an idiot. She continued, "Of course, I hated boys at the time and thought he had cooties or something. But I can't believe you wrote me a poem. Read it to me? Please." 

The beads of sweat had started dotting my forehead. I was starting to feel lightheaded. Bloody hell, just keep it together. "Well, alright. I'll read it to you, but please keep in mind that I'm not very good at writing poetry." I took a couple of deep breaths and used the table cloth in front of me to wipe at my forehead before I started. 

"Winifred, Your love, its shimmering effervescence Calls to my heart, Entrapped to be yours alone For no one else can touch it, Hidden in a chest. The key…Yours, To have and hold, Opens the chest And gives you my heart, Forever."I risked looking in her eyes as I finished my recitation. She had her hands over her mouth. 

Then she started clapping. "Oh, Wes. That was fantastic. I loved it. Thank you. It's the best poem I've ever heard." Fred leaned in to kiss me. "Really, Wesley, I loved it."  

I kissed her back, suddenly relieved. Things were going right on schedule. She loved my poem. That's superb. I released the breath that I was holding. Now, it was time to ask her to marry me. "Fred, I wanted to ask you something." I had the ring now enclosed in my hand.

She looked at me intently. "What, Wesley? Did you need help with something in the office?" 

"Um, no. Not that. I just wanted to say again that you mean so much to me, and that I would be honored if—." 

A scream rang from behind me. I automatically stood, moved in front of Fred, my arms in front of me, ready to extend my collapsible sword at any moment. The instinct to protect and kill anything that jumped out at us was now dominant. 

The woman who screamed, ran to the other side of the table where her dinner companion sat and threw herself on him, her voice resounding clearly in the now quiet restaurant. "Yes, Josh. Of course I'll marry you. Yes. Yes. Yes. Thank you. I love you so much." The woman stopped her screaming long enough for her new fiancé to put the ring on her finger. 

The people in the restaurant started clapping and calling out their congratulations. I sat back down, suddenly mortified at my behavior. Damn it. It was MY TURN to ask Fred to marry me. Not Josh!!!

Fred sat watching the festivities behind me. The woman was still making a scene, jumping up and down. Kissing Josh. "That's so romantic. Isn't it, Wes?"

Soon all of my worries were forgotten again. It's alright, I told myself, I can try again. "Yes. It is," I say, rather dreamily. 

"So, what were you going to ask me?" Fred asked gently. Her face still smiling gently at me.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that I love you. That the times we've had together have been the best days of my life. I was hoping that you'd feel the same way," I started, "Fred, will you—."

_Crash._

_Slam. _

_Crack. _

A dish flew past my head hitting the end of our table, knocking off our glass center piece, and sending it crashing noisily to the ground. I turned my chair quickly to see who was attacking us. 

"You fucking bastard. You're breaking up with me!!! I'm four months pregnant with your baby and you're breaking up with me!" The woman shouted, her partner attempting to calm her, obviously fueled the fire because she started throwing dishes off of the tables that surrounded hers. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU'RE MARRIED?" The scream was so loud it the crystal chandlers in the restaurant started to reverberate. 

"Oh, Bloody Hell," I put my hands against my head. This is not going so well. 

Fred must've stood up because her hands were resting on my shoulders. "Wesley, I hope you don't mind, but I really don't like this restaurant. I'm having a great time, but in all honesty, when you've lived in a Hell Dimension for five years, you don't want to be eating anything like frog's legs, ever again. Can't we just go to the taco stand instead? Please?"

"Alright. We'll just leave." I motioned to the waiter to bring our check. A few minutes later, the waiter handed me that little black folder that contained the check. $57.85. The number was larger than life. What the bloody hell? We didn't even order our meal. It was sixty dollars for two glasses of champagne! That's preposterous. I smiled at Fred, who looked at me questioningly. The waiter came back and asked me if everything was okay. It took everything in me not to yell. 

"I'm just wondering if you didn't make a mistake. We didn't order our food yet, perhaps you have us confused with another table." The waiter stuck his nose up at me. 

"Well, sir. It was twenty dollars for the champagne, you understand. But there was some damaged caused to your table. That center piece is extremely expensive. Perhaps next time you can be more careful in a fine restaurant, like ours." The man's voice was so condescending that I wanted to punch him. Truly break his pointed nose. 

I bit my tongue. There was no way that I was going to let that pompass jackass ruin my mood. I just held up my credit card for him to take. 

"Wesley, we didn't break that center piece! Why didn't you say anything?" Fred seemed concerned. Her brow furrowing as her hands flew as she spoke. "That woman who freaked out on her boyfriend did it."

I held up my hand, "It's alright. It is not worth it. I'd much rather just leave this horrible place and never come back." The waiter came back, had me sign the credit slip, then wished me adieu`. 

We left, both upset at the waiter, but trying to get past it so that we could enjoy the rest of our evening. As I promised we stopped by Fred's favorite taco stand. It was fairly romantic, I suppose, especially since it was located near the amusement park. After a quick meal of taco salads and bean dip, we decided to walk over to the park and ride the carousel. 

Hand-in-hand we walked, although the sounds of screaming children and laughter filled the air, it seemed as if we were the only people there. It was serene, no words were necessary. As we stood in line to ride the carousel, I felt that it was time. 

"Fred, I was planning on asking you something in the restaurant, but I was interrupted." I palmed the ring again. 

"Oh, yeah. Before the pregnant woman started screaming about how that bastard of a boyfriend was leaving her. And the nerve! He was married and didn't even tell her. I mean, come on. She had to have known, right? There are signs. I mean, the ring line on his hand for example. Or…Oh. I'm sorry. I'm doing it, again. What were you saying?"

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to see the carnie, the very large and muscled carnie, ask for our tickets. I let out an exasperated breath. _God_! I pulled out the tickets and practically threw them in the man's face. _I'm so sick of this. Why won't anyone let me ask the woman I love to marry me without interruption?_

Fred's hand pulled at mine, stopping me from moving. "Wesley, that was rude! Why did you do that? All he did was ask for the tickets? What's wrong with you? You've been acting so weird today." She had her hands at her hips in that 'you're in trouble' posture that Cordy assumes when she's about to lecture us.

Well, I'd had just about enough today. "The problem is that no one will let me finish. Do you know how hard it is to get in the right mood without someone just interrupting you? I'm frustrated is all!"

"Frustrated about what? What are you trying to say?" She was starting to look upset at me. Her voice rose as she became defensive. 

The words were about to be blurted out of my mouth, when a shrieking scream was herd throughout the park. Bloody hell, what is it this time? A woman freaking out over a rollercoaster? A frog jumping out of a hat? What!?

We both turned to run towards the sound, against all of the people trying to stampede out of the area. That was the first indication that it was serious. Most people ran away from danger. The screams were coming from the Haunted House. One of the little children cried that they had big teeth.

"Wesley. It's coming from the Haunted House. Those things always have mirrors in them. If it's a vampire, it's the perfect place to hide. No one would see them in the mirrors until it was too late. Oh, God." Fred was standing behind me.

"We'll luckily for those people in there; we've learned to never leave the office without weapons. Let's see if we can stop them." I motion for her to stay behind me as I extend the collapsible stake. I assume that they are vampires or else the people fleeing would've been screaming something about 'monsters.' Fred, always prepared, pulled out her tazer. 

We stay quiet as we entered the Haunted House. "Be careful," I whisper to Fred, "these things can be mazes and there are people dressed up like monsters in here to scare people. We don't want to stake the wrong thing." She whispers back her agreement. 

It's erringly quiet. The screams stopped suddenly. We've now come up toward the House of Mirrors. Crap. We won't be able to see the vampires in the mirrors. 

Woosh. Crash. 

A vampire is thrown against the mirrors and knocks them down. Breaking them instantly. The sounds of footsteps break the silence. Another wooshing sound followed by a poof tells us someone is in here. Someone who knows how to stake vampires. Fred pulls out a stake that she had hidden in her purse and stakes the vampire lying unconscious by our feet. The vampire turns to dust. 

I look at her. "Is it possible that Angel could've sent someone here? I haven't heard about any vampire haunts in this area, but perhaps they did."

"I don't know, Wes. Maybe and maybe not. We still have to be careful." As she spoke those words, the mirrors behind and in front of us crash down. 

We're surrounded!

"You vampires picked the wrong place to hang out." The voice called out, and echoing in the cavernous house. 

Fred screamed as a body fell from above us, landing five feet from her. I pulled her quickly behind me as the stake converted to a sword. I was about to lunge at the figure, when Fred pulled me back, throwing me off balance and on the floor. 

I was about to yell at her to get down, when she exploded, "CONNOR ANGEL!!! HARRISON DAVIES!!! What the HELL are you doing here?"

Well, now I looked more closely. Yes. It was them. I got up from off the ground and dusted myself off. Now it was my turn to put my hands against my hip. "Well, answer her! What are you doing here? Does your father, your sister know you're here?"

They put down their weapons…fairly familiar weapons I must add. Connor carried his father's favorite broadsword, while Harrison held a powerful crossbow located in my private collection. I don't think that Fred noticed them. They both looked at each other, not answering. 

Connor looked at Fred, giving her a pathetically innocent expression, "I'm sorry. We just heard screams and thought we should help."

Fred fell for it, "Oh. Well, that was a good idea. But weren't you at the beach?"

Harrison jumped in with an explanation, "We got bored at the beach and I thought that it'd be cool to show Connor the wild rides at the Amusement Park." 

"Ok. But you two should head home then. Cordy'll be worried about you two. Next time be more careful, okay, Honey?" She patted each boy on the head. 

"Ok. We will." They both answered. Then scampered off, rather quickly. 

"Well, wasn't that nice, Wesley. They helped those people. It's good to know that they didn't run away like all of those other people when others are in danger." 

"Yes. It was very nice of them to stake those vampires." _Now the only question I have is if they had come here from the beach, how did those weapons magically appear in their hands_? _Something is going on with those two. Something dangerous._

Fred waved her hand in front of my face. "Wesley, are you listening to a single word that I'm saying?" 

"Um, no. Sorry, Fred. I was just thinking. What were you saying?" I apologized. 

She stood in front of me, asking, "What were you going to ask me? Before the screams that is? You said that you been wanting to ask me something all night and that you keep getting interrupted. Well, I don't think anything is going to interrupt you now, so ask away." She gestured with her hand to continue.

I took in a needed breath, "Fred, it's not the right time. I wanted it to be special."

Fred's hands were thrown up in exasperation. "Wesley! For Pete's sake, just ask. You've had something crawling up your butt all evening. Just ask. It's not like you're going to ask me to marry you or something." Her eyes grew big at that thought, "Is it?"

Oh. Bloody Hell. I scrubbed my hands against my hair, "Well, actually, I was." I pulled out the velvet box, opened it and, like tradition, went down on one knee, "Fred, will you marry me?"

Her eyes widened more than I thought possible. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh. Wesley. Um. Okay." She started laughing. "I mean, Yes. I'll marry you."

I stood up, rather quickly, the blood rushing to my brain making me feel lightheaded. Or perhaps that was Fred's kiss taking my breath away. After a long passionate kiss, I pulled the ring from its box and placed it on her delicate hand. It looked astonishing. Its radiance blinding. 

She kissed me again. And again. Until we forgot that we were in a Haunted House. 

Soon the park security guards burst in...then the assumed it was a childish hoax and banished us from the amusement park. 

How we ended up back at the Hyperion, I had no idea. It was if I was floating around a cloud of happiness. I opened the door for Fred, our mouths still dancing together. My jacket ended up in a pile on the front stairs. We had planned on going up the stairs to one of our rooms when catcalling whistles jarred us from our kissing.

Gunn, Robin, Faith, and Andrea were staring at us, expressing their amusement by whistling and clapping. Fred pulled away, grasping my hand in hers, lifted up the hand with the ring. "Hey, guys, Guess What?"

"Oh, my god," the ladies gasped, as they ran over to see it up close. Andrea, picked up her hand, "Wow. It's gorgeous, Fred. Congratulations." She kissed her on the cheek, and then came over to hug me. Faith gave Fred a tight hug, "Congrats. I mean, wow. That's great. Congratulations, Wes, Fred." 

Gunn and Robin each gave me a slap on the back. Each congratulating us both in our engagement.

Angry shouts from upstairs overtook the congratulating. Angel's voice was heard throughout the hotel. "What do you mean you RAN INTO SOME VAMPIRES? How do you run into some vampires? If you ran into them, how'd you already have weapons ready? Oh. Yeah. My favorite broadswords just appeared in your hands. Wow. I wish it would do that for me. I wouldn't have to worry about demon's attacking me unexpectedly anymore."

Cordy's voice was heard trying to calm them all down. Reminding them that the children were sleeping. Footsteps coming down the stairs caused us to look up at them. Cordy had both boys by the ears and was dragging them downstairs followed by Angel and Spike. "Now you can yell as loud as you want."

I had to laugh at the sight. The boys looked chagrin at having their ears grabbed by the 'house mother.' The two vampires showing no mercy. "I guess you found out about our two weapon stealing thieves? I was going to mention it."

Harrison and Connor were dragged over to the round couch in the front hall and forced to sit down. Angel had his mouth open ready to interrogate them again. 

The door opened to reveal Lorne in his hooded trench coat and sunglasses. "Oh. Boy. You will not believe what I just heard on the streets."

Angel crossed his arms over his chest, "Lorne, can we talk about this later. We're sort of busy right now."

Lorne came over to Angel, and patted his shoulder, "Angel-cakes, trust me, you want to hear this now. Especially since it has to do with the two puppies over here with their tails-in-between-their-legs. They've been busy little beavers." 

This caught everyone's attention. "Alright, now I'm curious, what have these two been up to as of late?" I ask, my arms also crossing over my chest as I look down at them. Their mouths have closed tight. Their posture becoming closed off. Funny how they no longer look young and innocent.

"Oh, that's where you're wrong, Wes. That's where we've all been wrong. It's not 'as of late', like we'd all like to think. This has been happening since Connor returned from Quar'toth." Lorne removed the disguise, starting to pace around them. "Angel, Spike, Wesley, have you ever heard of a being called 'the Destroyer?'"

"No, I'd rather say, I'd never heard of the bloke. You?" Spike answered for us.

"Funny. I'd never heard of him either, that was until the fabric of reality was ripped open from Quar'toth." Lorne gave Connor a pointed look. 

I caught the look, as did everyone else. Gunn raised a hand, "Are you saying that Connor's this 'Destroyer? 'Cause that's nuts."

"Yes, my little cupcakes. That's what I'm saying. And not only is Connor known as the Destroyer on the streets, but he and his sidekick—." 

Harrison jumped in, "Hey. I'm not a sidekick. I'm his partner. Get the story right, okay?"

Lorne glared at him, "Fine—his partner, Harrison, over here, have been going out every night, like Batman and Robin hunting down evil vampires and demons. They've got the demon underground shaking in their boots. They've been doing this for MONTHS!"

Cordy's face got red, "WHAT?! Every night since they got here? Do you know how dangerous that is? Why didn't you tell us? You could've been killed."

Lorne whistled, "Princess. I wasn't done, yet. When I'm done, you won't just want to yell at them." He went over to the cabinet and poured himself a drink. He took a long sip, then passed the bottle to Angel. "Angel-cakes, you might want to drink some of this…oh and pass it to Cordy and Faith too." 

He waited until Angel had his drink. "Okay. Like I said, these two have been playing crime fighters for a couple of months; That's not the problem. The problem is that they also have another partner: a partner who in any cases should be dead. You should sit down."

"Oh. Bloody Hell, just tell us what's going on and stop with the suspense," Spike inserts, clearing getting annoyed with the story teller.

Lorne shakes his head, "Alright, but if you pass out or something don't say I didn't warn you." He took another gulp of his drink, "Lindsey McDonald. They're working with Lindsey McDonald."

TO BE CONTINUED…

Ha ha ha… I did that on purpose. Don't hate me. You know what's coming…the explosion that is Angel.

Next Chapter: March (St. Patrick's Day)

Please read and respond. (I really want to know what you thought of it.)


	7. March Angel's POV

**_Disclaimer_:** I do not own Angel: the series or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer shows or characters. I do however own the characters of Cathy Lucy Angel and Nicholas (Nicky) Wood. No money is exchanging hands. Please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student without a dime.

**_Summary_**_:_ This story is the sequel to Fast Forward. (_Sorry, I spelled Lindsey's name wrong. It's Lindsey with an 'e' not 'a'_.) Connor has finally come back home after living in Quar'toth for ten years. Each chapter will focus on a separate character's point of view as Connor adjusts to being back home and living with his family.

**_Pairings_**: Angel/Cordy, Faith/Wood, Fred/Wesley, Gunn/OC, Spike/Buffy, later on Connor/Dawn, Anya/Xander, Willow/Kennedy.

The song that inspired this story is This Year by Christina Aguilera. (Click to get the lyrics)

If you want to skip around to other chapters first you can, but they might not be up yet. I just put in the links in advance. They are all separate stories with different points of view.

**_Rating_**: PG-13 to R for Language. Mostly the F word. I use some other bad language, but nothing you probably haven't heard anywhere else.

**This Year**

**By: Sensue**

**Chapter Six: March **

**(Angel's POV) x-over with Tru Calling (Harrison Davies)**

Lorne's words were like a dropping bomb on my un-beating heart. Just the mention of the man who cruelly schemed to kidnap my son; who sent him to live in hell for ten years.

That's all it took.

I can feel it: the demon inside struggling for freedom.

I feel my game face under the surface desperate to escape my wanning control.

Anger: It's pure,

pulsating,

bubbling,

and in this moment, overflowing.

Logic has left me now. The only thing left is the instinct to kill those threatening my family.

I caught my grandchilde's eyes. I know he is thinking the same. Spike and I are hunters; killers, in fact. We spent a hundred years together with Darla and Drucilla, ravaging and massacring together. I know him. I know the look in his eyes, just as he knows mine. He turns, about face, and heads directly to the weapons closet. Spike grabs a sword, and then throws me my favorite broadsword.

I turn heading towards the door. A hand pushes against my chest in attempt to stop me. I don't let it. My instincts recognize my wife; which is why I didn't push her away. I went around her instead, Spike following behind me.

Once I get out the door, my senses focus. I can trace my son's steps through scent. Stupidly, only now do I realize that McDonald's scent had touched the ones that I loved. The sounds of running footsteps behind us made us slow. Cordy caught up after a few seconds. I gave her a questioning glance.

"Connor and Harrison are very upset. They don't know. Both of them think that Lindsey is a 'Good Guy.' They tried to go after you; to stop both of you, but Faith, Gunn, and Wesley caught them." She told us, trying to catch her breath.

Spike asked her, "Why didn't you stay with them, then? You know, tell them about the bloody bastard."

Cordy's voice turned cold, practically chilling me, "You think that I'm going to sit at home, while that sick sadistic bastard just walks around town? He deserves pain, the same pain that he bestowed on us when he manipulated my parents into betraying us, and then sent Connor to Quar'toth." As she spoke, her eyes became pure white. It was only for an instant. No one even noticed it.

Silently, I agreed with her. "Don't worry; pain is the least of his worries right now. Death should be at the top of the list." I shoot a look at Spike, "of course, he'd already BE DEAD if someone hadn't bashed me over the head and stopped me the first time."

Spike just shrugged, ignoring the comments. He directed us towards the warehouse we had 'interogated' Lindsey in. I motioned for Cordy to stay behind me, although she carried a crossbow. Spike stood off to my side as we broke through the poorly constructed wooden door.

As we entered the building, it was erringly quiet. Yet my senses couldn't lie; there was someone here. I heard a harsh cough coming from the corner. Spike took the lead, quickly soaring over to a stack of milk crates. I come up behind him to see McDonald lying there, barely moving except when the coughing shook his chest.

Spike had lowered his weapon, feeling Lindsey was no threat. I look at Cordy, her face revealed nothing. My weapon was still raised, but my rage was fading. Funnily, I was expecting Cordy to talk me out of killing him, especially since he looked already so deathly ill. That's why I was surprised when Spike's hand closed over mine, making me gently lower the broadsword.

"The bloody bastard's sick. The only problem with killing him now is that he won't even know who's doing it and what's the fun in that," Spike remarked half-heartedly, although I had the feeling that he really didn't want to kill him. I nodded in silent agreement, suddenly tired. Cordy came to stand by my side, her arms still crossed over her chest. Spike had leaned over him, a hand ghosting the man's forehead. He looked up at Cordy, "Princess," he commented, "he's got a pretty high temperature. What should we do?"

Cordy uncrossed her arms, and started waving them in the air as she spoke, "What should we do? You're asking me, WHAT SHOULD WE DO? We should leave him here to die. That's what we should do! It's what the fucking asshole deserves for hurting my babies!" With that being said, she stormed out of the warehouse, swearing under her breath.

My mouth dropped open; I couldn't believe what just happened. Spike looked just as shocked. My usually over-caring and medically educated wife just said that she wanted someone dead. That was a first. If I didn't pity that asshole, I'd take it and run…doing exactly as she asked and killing him without a second thought.

Lindsey started coughing again, jarring me from my dark thoughts. "Spike, let's get him to the Hyperion. After he's awake and aware of us, we can torture him." I say this nonchalantly.

"Sounds good," Spike huffed as he lifted Lindsey's dead weight over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. We walked out of the warehouse and ran into Cordy, who was still fuming.

"Why didn't either of you think to DRIVE here? I don't feel like walking anymore," she complained, ignoring Lindsey's pained breaths and moans. She pulled out her cell phone that she carried and punched in a seven digit number. "Wesley, hey, it's Cordelia. I need someone to come and pick us up at the warehouse on Pine Street. No, he's still alive! I'll tell you later. Okay, ten minutes. See 'ya." She hung up the phone with slightly more force that necessary. "I called Wes. He's gonna pick us up." That was the last thing that she said before she re-crossed her arms over her chest to wait silently for our ride.

No one said a word until Wesley's car pulled up. Cordy climbed in the passenger seat, put on her seat belt, thanked Wesley, and never once looked back at the three of us stuffed in the back seat.

Wesley, on the other hand did look back at us frequently. It was with worried eyes. He drove faster than the speed limit to get us home. He pulled in the lot and helped us get Lindsey inside and up the stairs. I put him in the room furthest away from everyone…and the one that was almost falling apart. Looking at him now, I could no longer see that cocky smile, manipulating eyes and devilish tongue. All I could see now was a rumpled homeless man who obviously hadn't taken a shower in quite a long time.

Fred had come up along with Wesley and Gunn. Her brow furrowed in concern, "Did Cordy check on him? 'Cause I think he needs a doctor."

I answered her without turning my gaze away from the bastard, "Cordy doesn't want anything to do with him. So just leave her out of this. Is there anything that you could do to help instead?"

She looked surprised, and then straightened, her southern accent drawling out her speech on how chicken noodle soup was her grandmother's cure for all illness. Then she scampered off to heat some up.

"Listen, no one is to be in this room alone with him. Weapons on him at all times. He's not to leave this room. I want to know when he's coherent. And then I'm going to share my feelings with him about being around my son." I make sure that every member of the team can hear this because I wanted them to all be on guard. The bastard isn't getting away this time.

Spike agreed to take the first watch as Fred entered the room with a tray of soup, water and a wash cloth. I left the room knowing that Spike would keep us safe as we slept. Wesley and Gunn followed me downstairs. I stopped to ask about Harrison and Connor.

Wesley took a deep breath, cleaning his glasses, as Gunn pointed to him. "Angel, the boys are upset at…well, the man they believe to be a good friend, is now their greatest enemy, in a sense. And they don't believe that he's evil." Wesley stopped me from walking by taking hold of my arm, "Angel," he lowered his voice, "to be completely honest, I breathed a sigh of relief when Cordy told me that he was still alive. Connor and Harrison are adamant about him not being as we described. Connor even went so far as to threaten to run away if we hurt him. They really believe that Lindsey is their friend and won't believe anyone who tells them otherwise."

I absorbed what Wesley told me, and then asked where they were. He said that they were in the garden. I thanked Wes, then went outside to find them. I walked in on them sparing together. Connor froze when he saw me, while Harrison took on his previous smug expression. I took an unneeded breath before I gestured for them to have a seat.

I gather my thoughts as I stared at my hands. Once I know how to start, I looked up at my son and his friend. "I know that you don't understand, but what you've done is extremely dangerous. Not only did you sneak out of the house without telling anyone where you were going, but you were hunting vampires and demons. Now Connor, I know that you think that you're unstoppable, but you're not immortal. One hard blow that catches you off guard and you can get hurt and die just like everyone else. And Harrison, you don't have any kind of supernatural strength or weapons training to rely on. You could've been killed out there and no one would've known about it." I gave them a couple of minutes to absorb my words, then started again. "Now, the both of you want to know about Lindsey. The Lindsey McDonald that I know works for Wolfram and Hart. He was one of the junior partners, in charge of the 'special projects' department. He worked to make my life miserable. Connor, you know about your birth mother, Darla. Well, he was the one who brought her back, as a human. He's the one who tried to kill Cordy with non-stopping visions and the man who manipulated her parents into kidnapping you. Connor, are you listening? Lindsey McDonald was directly responsible for your life in Quar'toth."

Connor stood up rapidly, "NO! You're lying. You just don't want me to do anything. Now you're trying to tell me that my friend is the one who ruined my life. I don't believe you!" His voice squeaked on the last word.

"Connor Angel," a shout came from across the garden, "Don't yell at your father! He's not lying. If you don't believe him; believe me. Harrison, Connor, the man you think is your friend, really isn't a friend. He is everything that your father said that he was and worse. And I don't want you to go anywhere near him ever again. I want you to promise me that."

"Okay, mom." Connor agreed, his face now despondent. Harrison just nodded.

Cordy came closer and kissed each boy on the forehead. "Okay, thank you. Why don't you both get some sleep now? It's been a really long day."

They slowly walked back inside, seemingly defeated. So I was left alone with Cordy. She seemed calmer now as she spoke, "Angel, I just wanted to tell you that you did the right thing. No matter how I feel about him. But please don't ask me to take care of him because I don't want to ever see his face ever again."

Looking in her tearing eyes, it was all I could do not to cry myself. I just took her in my arms as she cried for the first time since Connor's return. I whispered that it would be okay. That she didn't have to do anything that she didn't want and that everyone was safe.

After she felt better, I walked her up the stairs to our bedroom. As we got dressed for bed, she made a comment about our son. "I hope that you're not too upset about Connor and Harrison's little adventures in crime fighting," Cordy began, "they're only acting like us…well, actually like you. You know, charging into danger without thinking. Connor might not act like it, but he wants to be like you—a champion. And if you think about it, I was younger than him when I started hunting vampires with the Scooby Gang in Sunnydale. So it's sort of a family tradition."

"What did you just say?" She startled me, so I turned quickly around to face her.

She put her hands up in the air, surrendering, "okay, okay, you think before you charge."

I shake my head, "no, after that."

"What? I was sixteen when I started going out with Buffy—That's two years younger than Connor and Harrison."

"No…before that."

"Ohh," She stood up, then came over to our bed and patted the spot next to her. "Angel, I know this is hard to believe but Connor looks up to you. You're his father and he wants to be like you."

"Like a champion…" I finish for her, letting the word hang in the air. Cordy's eyes got large as she got my point.

"The prophecy," she whispered as she looked deep into my eyes, "Connor's the champion in the prophecy. Oh my god, Angel. What do we do?"

I was at a loss to answer her, my brow becoming as my wife joked, a broody brow. Our son was a champion, I mean, I knew that eventually he would be, but I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. "I don't know Cordy. This is going to be a big responsibility for Connor to face by himself. I don't know if he's ready for it or not. What I do know is that he has us to support him through this. Support him and to love him."

"He'll be okay, Angel, like you said he has us and he does have a partner already. Connor and Harrison are getting really close. They trust each other and watch each other's backs. I just wonder what Faith thinks about her brother hunting vampires. I bet she never thought that it would come to this." As she spoke she crawled into her side of the bed and pulled up the covers. Her socked feet brushed against my bare ones. Cordy's the only woman I know that wears socks to bed, always complaining of her cold feet.

  
  
I crawled under the covers myself, "I don't know. I'll have to ask her tomorrow." She turned so she was resting against my bare chest and her head was on my shoulder. "Good night," I whispered to her as I kissed her. Cordy whispered it back as she snuggled against me and fell asleep.

As usual, by the time I woke up Cordy had already been awake for hours getting the children ready for school and on the bus. I forgot that Lindsey was in my home for a moment. It was only a moment, when I remembered I went to the room that he slept in to see if he was awake yet. Spike had been there all night, a sword in his hands ready to strike if the man attacked. Lindsey lay on the bed. He looked better thanks to Fred. When I walked over to his bedside, his eyes opened to look at me with surprise and distrust.

"What the hell do you want from me?" He croaked out, his voice rough and dry.

Jeez. I hadn't been in the room more than thirty seconds and the guy was pissing me of. "What do I want? How about you dead? But first I want to know what you were doing with my son and his friend."

Coughing jagged his response. I rolled my eyes. "I was trying to help," he finally blurted in between.

Spike came up behind me, "Help, huh? Doesn't that sound all innocent? Especially since you're the one that helped Connor find the Quar'toth such a hospitable place to live for ten years." Lindsey cringed at the tone of his voice. I just stood there staring at him, mentally begging him to make a move against us, so that we could kill him for it.

He didn't, instead pulling himself to sit up and alleviate the coughing. Fred walked in just then, bringing him some tea.

"Good morning, Angel. Good morning, Spike. Mr. McDonald." She nodded at him. Fred was smiling the entire time as she spoke, "Isn't it a glorious day?"

"Yeah. It's great," Lindsey drawled out. I shot him a glare to shut him up. Fred seemed to be the only happy person in the hotel; I wanted it to stay that way.

"Hi, Fred. You seem happy and chipper this morning." I noticed, all the while keeping tabs on all of Lindsey's movements.

"Well, it's funny what being engaged'll do ta ya." She giggled as she held out the hand that adorned the ring.

I was surprised to say the least; I know that Wesley was planning on asking her, I just didn't think he'd do it so soon. Spike just smiled, and then hugged her in congratulations. Once I'd snapped out of my shock, I also gave her a quick peck on the cheek and congratulated her.

Fred asked Lindsey if he needed anything then walked out, still smiling. Lindsey sipped at the tea. After a few sips, he put the cup down on the nightstand. He started talking softly, "I know you don't believe me, but I have changed--."

"Oh, you mean like when you blackmailed Wolfram and Hart for a bigger office after I helped you with those blind children. Yeah, that was a big change. Or about the time you changed and tried to drive my wife insane. Yeah, I can see that you've changed…Into a kidnapping, lying son of a bitch."

"Yeah. I did it. I told you before; you don't know what it's like to be so poor, that you go through trash just for some food. I've made some bad decision, starting with working at Wolfram and Hart. That day you and Spike tortured me, well let me tell you, no one came for me that day. Not a single person that I worked with. They left me for dead. I had to crawl out of that warehouse. I must've passed out because I ended up in a hospital with everything I had stolen from me. I had no ID, driver's license, social security number, nothing. After they released me from the hospital, I went to Wolfram and Hart, to my office. People I had worked with for years! They claimed NOT to know me and had security throw me out. I went to my apartment, you know the one I shared with Darla, after we brought her back. Other people were living there. All of my things were gone. I've been living in that warehouse since then. Everything that I've worked for is GONE now!" He started laughing hysterically, "They did do something for me…I have an arm that works now."

I looked down, yes. His prosthetic arm was gone, replaced by a fresh and blood arm. I didn't notice it before. "Yeah…I think that it was payment for services rendered. Holland always said that the senior partners appreciated my sacrifice. Last week a black limo came by my new neighborhood and picked me up. They drugged me and when I woke, I was back in my 'home' with a new arm. Shortly after that, I started to feel sick, so I haven't had a chance to use it much, except to wipe my nose."

It was the look in his eyes that made me lift him by the shirt putting my nose to his. I growled at him, hoping to scare him. He laughed even more, "They took my life! So whatever you plan on doing to me: go ahead and do it. My life can't get any worse." Lindsey started coughing again, his voice breaking and cracking as he spoke.

I huffed, "Trust me, it can! If I find out that you've hurt my family in any way, well, let's just say that you'll be a living vegetable by the time I'm done with you!"

After he was done coughing, he took another sip of his tea, "I haven't' done anything to hurt those boys. The only thing I've done is help them. I mean, they're just boys wandering the streets hunting vampires…" He looked directly n my eyes, his mouth twisting into a condescending smile, "makes you wonder where their parents are."

I felt a blip, my control slipped a notch as I grabbed the cocky bastard by the neck. "You've done nothing but make my family's life hell. So don't you dare even mention their names, you little fuck." I growled in his face. My hand tightened against his neck, his breathing turned wheezing and shallow.

During this time, Spike had watched silently, keeping his eyes pealed for any threatening moves on Lindsey's part. As my hand tightened further, Spike jumped in, laying his hand on my arm. He didn't say anything; he didn't need to, we knew each other very well. He wanted me to stop on my own accord.

I didn't get a chance to decide though, as Connor barged in the room, yelling, "Dad, please, let him go!" He ran over to the bed, physically pulling me away from Lindsey. Then he stood in between us.

"Connor--," I started, "Leave! Go back downstairs."

"Dad, please," Connor pleaded further, "I know that Lindsey's hurt a lot of people, hurt all of us, but he's not evil. He's trying to redeem himself, I swear. He's no the man you know anymore, he's my friend. Dad, he saved my life the first time I met him and he's been helping us ever since. Dad, I hate what he's done to us, to me…I mean, living in a Hell Dimension for the majority of my life, isn't what I wanted as a goal, but I don't remember him doing those things. And I can't see him doing those things anymore. Don't kill him, Dad."

The first thought I had when Connor started pleading Lindsey's case was that the man obviously brainwashed my oldest. The thoughts I had after that were conflicting, especially as I took a moment to glance at the ill man choking on the bed.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. If Cordy was here, I knew that she'd tell me that people could change. Like me; I was the most feared vampire in the world before the gypsy curse. Like Faith; the murderous slayer. And Spike, the killer of slayers. "Alright, I will give him the benefit of the doubt, Connor. But not because of him. I still think that he deserves to die, but because I trust you, and your judgment, I'll give him ONE MORE chance. Just ONE! If he screws it up again, he's a dead man."

Both Connor and Lindsey let out a breath, relieved that I had made that decision. "I still don't want you anywhere around him though. He's to stay in the room. I don't trust him around Cathy or Nicky." I put my hand on Connor's shoulder guiding him out with me; I nodded to Spike, indicating that he should continue watching him, then left with Connor.

Ever feel like you never should've gotten out of bed? Well, that's what I feel right now. Already, this is the day from hell. I should know I once spent a hundred years there. First, I got up to fix breakfast in the kitchen, only to walk in and get yelled at by Cordy. Oops, I guess I forgot to mention that Fred and Wesley had gotten engaged. After a lecture from her on how I shouldn't keep news like that from her, I hunted down Wesley to see if he could shed a light on the prophecy, now that we knew Connor was the 'champion' spoken of. He was absolutely no help; he just sat at his desk smiling at the picture of him and Fred. He's completely in love and living on a cloud. And to top it off, Spike let Lindsey out of the room to stretch his legs. Spike stayed with him, of course, but that didn't prevent Lindsey from running into the children.

Nicky and Cathy remembered him, while Connor didn't. They remembered the man who had shattered their innocence and taught them of evil. Their panicked screams echoed throughout the hotel. Everyone froze, then launched out of their chairs/beds/etc. and flew up the stairs.

If my heart could beat, it would've stopped at the sound of my children's cries. They were completely inconsolable, clutching at my pants and trying to hide. Faith picked up both children and took them to the adjacent room away from Lindsey. Cordy gave Lindsey an openly hostile look and then ran in to help Faith.

I didn't notice that Connor had also run upstairs to check on his siblings until he ran into my shoulder. I turned toward him, expecting him to again defend Lindsey's crimes, so I wasn't prepared when his face lost all traces of color and he collapsed on the floor right in front of me. Luckily, I had plenty of experience catching Cordy during her visions before her part-demon/higher being transformation.

Lindsey tried to come forward, but Spike caught him and dragged him back to his "room" and locked the door on him with the padlock we had installed.

I yelled for Cordy, while I cradled our son in my arms. Connor's face was a chalky white and his heart, which had been beating out of his chest, was finally starting to slow down. His eyes started blinking as Cordy ran of the room and kneeled besides him. She gently placed a hand on his neck, taking his pulse with a couple of fingers while the other hand stroked his brow.

Connor leaned into her hand, closing his eyes again. His breathing became even more ragged. I was becoming even more worried. Cordy continued her gentle ministrations, massaging his temples and whispering reassurances. It didn't seem to help, because he pulled himself up into his mother's arms and started sobbing against her chest.

I rubbed his back and head, willing our son's pain to vanish. The others quietly left, leaving us alone with him. After a few minutes, he was able to talk to us. We first moved so we were leaning against a wall in the hallway, my arm around Cordy who still held Connor in hers. I put my other hand on Connor's, squeezing it to give him my support and comfort.

He leaned his head on my shoulder as he spoke, "I remember. I remember him now. I didn't before, but now I do. He…pushed Cathy to the ground before he grabbed me. Nicky, he—he was crying and screaming the entire time at Lindsey to let me go. Then there was a noise, a loud noise. Then a demon appeared, Sa'jahan. He screamed at me, telling me that I would never get a chance to kill him. The air and sky just exploded as he opened the rift into Quar'toth. Lindsey pushed me into it, not the demon. He did it. God, Mom, Dad. It's all his fault; all of it."

He turned to look at me, "I had to learn to hunt and kill; how to survive. I had to become the 'Destroyer.' Eventually, I found a way out…I came back home, to you. But I'm not your little boy anymore. I can't even remember what I used to be like. All I am now is the Destroyer. It's all I am." His voice shook as his body trembled, his posture hunched and closed off.

I let go of my wife and stood up suddenly needing to hold him in my arms. I held out my hand for him to take as I pulled him up off the floor. Once he was standing, I put my arms around his shoulder, pulling him close to me. I pulled Cordy up as well, as we walked together into our bedroom.

Connor looked surprised, but lay down on the bed as I motioned him to. Cordy lay down next to him, on her side of the bed, as I did the same. She leaned her head on his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his middle. I turned on my side, so I was facing him, and stroked his forehead gently until he started to yawn.

I closed my eyes as the memories flooded my mind. Connor as a baby; us feeding him in bed while we tried to get some sleep. Him running into the room to snuggle with us in the middle of the night because he had a nightmare. As Connor got older, he brought in his ideas of breakfast in bed for us every Sunday, half of it floating in the tray for us.

I was about to fall asleep when the sounds of sobs jarred me completely awake. Tracing the sounds back to their origin, I was stunned to find them coming from Lindsey's room. I wasn't sure if I should go to him, but my legs had a different plan, since I found myself in front of the doorway before I realized that I had gotten up.

It was now Gunn's watch, so he sat outside his door, rolling his eyes towards the door. "Asshole's been crying for the last two hours, since he ran into the kids, and he ain't stopped yet. I'm 'bout to go in there and kick his ass! He ain't got no reason to be cryin'. He's the one who did this to us. Damn it, Nicky's still cryin'. And Cathy won't let go of Nicky…she's sleeping in his bed again. We thought that they got over it and now, 'cause of that pig, they be scared out of their minds again."

I just nodded at him, and then entered the room. I still wanted him dead, but I wasn't about to kill him just yet. I just stared at Lindsey, watching as the sobs shook his body. I don't think that he even knew that I was in the room until Wesley ran in carrying the Prophecy.

He stopped crying; now realizing that the both of us were listening to him.

Wesley spoke feverishly, "Angel, I understand the Prophecy now. Look," he pointed to a passage, "It says that the champion's enemy will change. I was assuming that you were the champion, but now that we know that it's Connor, Connor's worse enemy was Lindsey. I mean, he was the one who kidnapped him and sent him to hell. So, as you can see, he clearly isn't the same man…Lindsey's changed; he's who the Prophecy speaks of." Wesley's face glowed happily, now that he'd finally cracked the puzzle that was the Prophecy.

"Wait one damn minute now!" Lindsey was raspy and harsh, "I know nothing about a Prophecy. I'm not in a Prophecy."

Wesley stood taller, "Well, the prophecy is about you, contrary to your beliefs. None of us are happy about this but according to the prophecy, from now on, if you hurt anyone, even inadvertently; you will have the same hurt onto you multiplied by three." He had a thoughtful look on his face, "perhaps that's why you were sobbing. After all you made Nicky and Cathy cry for an hour after you ran into them."

He looked at us in amazement, biting his lip to keep from swearing. He stood up out of bed, and pulled the book containing the prophecy away from Wesley, turning the pages and reading it for himself. After he read it, he threw the book to the ground and started running his hands through his hair and swearing under his breath. "I've been CURSED!!! Urrg."

I didn't say a word, I knew that it was true, what I didn't know was how.

Our lives had just taken a serious turn. Whether it was a good turn or a bad turn was still under question.

We had had one of our "Family Meetings" shortly after our discovery of Lindsey's curse. It was decided that Lindsey would stay under guard until he proved himself trustworthy. Lindsey was upset at the turn of events. He hated it and called it a curse. We called it Divine Justice for everything that he put us through. We still didn't know how it had happened, but were grateful that he couldn't do anything harmful without repercussions.

Connor and Harrison were wary of him now, not trusting him anymore. They continued their nightly hunts, this time working with the rest of Angel Investigations to stop demons and help our clients. It was decided unanimously that they would now become paid members of the team. Cordy was right, Buffy and the rest of the Scooby Gang had started hunting vampires as fifteen year olds. Connor and Harrison were old enough to be apart of our mission.

Cordy and I had talked with Faith and Robin about Lindsey's continued stay at the hotel and how it would affect our youngest children. We all had to sit down and tell them that Lindsey wasn't going to hurt them. It took a while, but they were starting to feel safe again, relaxing in his presence.

I was so busy adjusting to all of the changes that I had completely forgot about the Irish holiday that I usually looked forward to every year. Irish holidays in the states were very hard to come by; St. Patrick's Day was the only one that they recognized.

So when Lorne walked in dressed completely in green, it took me for a loop. "Hey, Angelcakes. Where's your pin?" He looked me up and down.

I stared at him, unable to make a coherent thought besides, HE'S COMPLETELY GREEN. ALL OF HIM. "Huh?"

"Oh, well, I'll do it anyway." He leaned closer, grabbed me by the shoulders and KISSED ME. It was on the cheek, but it still flabbergasted me.

I pulled away quickly, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. "Lorne, I mean. I know that you've, you know, liked me, but you know…I'm married and everything. Not that I'm not, you know, flattered, I mean, I've always had…admirers some of them male, but Cordy…"

Lorne started laughing, it was a humoring laugh. Like he was humoring me, by thinking I was funny. "Oh, sweet cheeks." With that said, he patted my cheeks, THE OTHER CHEEKS MIND YOU, and walked away from me, leaving me to scratch my head.

Cordy walked down a couple minutes later, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a green sweater. She walked up to me, threw her arms around me and kissed me passionately. I was about to suggest we take an 'adult hour', but was interrupted by thundering footsteps coming down the stairs. The kids, all of them, wore something green. Cathy even had green ribbons in her hair.

Cordy leaned down to kiss each of them as well, and then sent them on their way to school. Harrison and Connor both wore green t-shirts. Harrison's a crude joke about beer, while Connor's was plain.

Now I'm really scratching my head. "What's going on?" I whispered in Cordy's ear.

Before she had a chance to answer, Spike came in, grabbed my face with both hands, and kissed me on the lips. It was quick, so quick that I didn't get a chance to deck him before he moved away and kissed Cordy the same way.

Now, it was okay for him to kiss her neck or wrists, as he usually did. It was regal to do so, but he just kissed my wife on the lips. HELL, he just kissed ME on the lips.

"OK. What the HELL is going on?" I stood there in the middle of the room staring at the green demons that had taken over my family.

Fred, Wesley, Faith, Robin, Gunn, Andrea, and Lindsey must've been in the kitchen when I shouted, because they all came running into the foyer to see what I was yelling about. They too wore green.

It was Gunn's shirt though that clued me in, the shirt read, "Kiss Me, I'm Irish."

Cordy rubbed my arm, "Angel, it's…"

"St. Patrick's Day," I finished for her, "I remember now." The shock melted away replaced by embarrassment.

Lorne continued laughing. Spike looked at him, with that look I KNEW that he heard us talking, and then fell to the ground, laughing uncontrollably, while pointing at me. "You should've seen your face!! That was classic."

Cordy hid her giggles under her hands, while the others shook their heads, not understanding what had happened. They just left the room, going back to their morning coffee rituals. Connor and Harrison smirked at each other.

I stood there for a minute, letting them get their laughs in. "You know, there was a myth that St. Patrick raised people from the dead. In some demon sects, it was said that he was a vampire. Of course, there's that whole converting to Christianity thing that sort of contradicts that. Now, everyone just drinks the green beer."

"I could go for a green beer." Harrison remarks, still smirking, "Hey, Connor, let's go get some. It's a good suggestion, Mr. A."

I just stare at him, "Um. No."

He opened his mouth, then closed it as I chased him out the door, Connor trailing behind his friend…running towards the light where I couldn't follow, the laughter trailing behind them.

Boys.

Looking at my giggling wife, I soon chased Spike and Lorne out too, continuing the Irish tradition.

The End of March.

NEXT: April.

Hope that you liked it. Please read and respond.


	8. April Cordy's POV

**Summary: **I decided to do something different for this chapter, but it took on a really evil turn. At first, I thought, what if our Mommy Cordy had become Queen C again. (Post-Xander Cordy: season three BtvS) (Like in "Spin the Bottle") but it twisted on me before I knew what happened.

**Rated: R for rape. It's not graphic, but it really doesn't have to be. It's horrible in and of itself. Once I get to that section, grammar and speech patterns will change become fragmented and fixated. Hopefully, they'll make sense to you. **

And YES…There is a reference to a very popular Movie/Comic Book in this story. (One of the characters.)

PS: The Bastard = Lindsey McDonald. (Cordy hates him)

**This Year**

**By: Sensue**

**Chapter Seven: April (Cordy's POV)**

****

_April 7, 2004._

Memories have flooded my mind. Harmony, Aura, Aphrodite, the rest of the Cordettes. My gang—hell, most of them are either dead or extremely successful. I used to keep in touch, especially with Aura, but time, work, and a big family have kept me too busy to call any of my old friends. Too busy to even think of my high school days.

I never, ever would've thought that my life would be like this. I had imagined myself as an actress: rich, powerful, and beautiful. I looked down to see my mud covered sneakers, ripped jeans, and bleach stained sweatshirt. Well, one out of three isn't bad, right? Yes. I admit it, I still have my looks.

I studied the letter in my hands, the letter addressed to Cordelia Chase, not Cordelia Chase-Angel. I had thought it to be an April Fool's Joke as I read it a fourth time.

_Dear Miss Chase and guest,_

_You are cordially invited to Sunnydale High School Class of 1999 Reunion on April 27 (5:30 pm)_

_The last graduating class of Sunnydale High School. _

_Please bring a guest and fond memories as we are looking forward to seeing you again._

_As we obviously cannot go back to our Alma Mater for this special occasion, _

_The Reunion will be held in the wonderful city of Los Angeles. _

_The Hilton Hotel_

_12345 Anderson Ave.___

_Los Angeles__, California__ 1111_

_Sincerely,_

_Aura Peterson_

God, I don't have time for this. I don't have time to scratch my nose right now. What will everyone say when they see me? I mean, I heard Aura was now the CEO of a perfume company. Weird, 'cause in High School, she couldn't have picked a nice perfume to save her life. Her stuff always stunk. Harmony, well, she's a vampire, but at least she's still stylish. Aphrodite's probably married to a rich guy who spoils her.

And me—Well, I'm royalty! Except no one will believe me. All I am to them is a housewife, one who does the filing on the side for my husband's detective agency. Hell, it's been such a long time since I've had to think of impressing anyone that I'm rusty.

My main concerns right now revolve around my family and their well being. My son and his teenaged friend are deep into the fighting demons aspect of our job. Sometimes I think too deep. My daughter and godson are finally getting over the scare they had when they saw Lindsey McDonald for the first time after Connor had come back. Lindsey McDonald, that bastard is now living with us. He's under constant guard, but everyone is starting to accept him as a 'changed man.' Changed Man MY ASS! Everyone may be willing to forgive and forget him, but I'm not. I'm glad that he was cursed. Hell, I practically wished it. The moment that I found out he was alive, all I've wanted is him to feel the same kind of pain that I did. He stole my son from me, from my family and made him live in Hell for ten years. And now, my son is back with me. He's starting to be happy living with us. He's making friends. What he doesn't need is a friend like Lindsey McDonald. I don't want him here, in my home, with my family. But I promised Angel that I'd let it go.

I just wish it was that easy. I'm afraid. I'm afraid that he'll change back. That he'll hurt us the minute we let our guard down. Faith isn't up to it anymore; she's having a hard time with this pregnancy. The poor girl can't keep anything down. Robin's focus is rightfully on her. Gunn, Andrea, Wesley, and Fred…well, I'm happy for them, very happy actually. They're getting married. They're planning the rest of their lives together. But their eyes aren't on Lindsey, they're on each other. Cathy, Connor, Harrison, and Nicky are just kids; they trust the adults in their lives to protect them. Right at this moment, it's down to Spike, Angel, Lorne, and me.

So there is no way in hell that I can take an evening off to gossip with my former high school gang. It's impossible. I fold up the letter and put it back in the envelope.

_Brrring……_

_Brrring……_

The phone ringing jars me from my thoughts. I throw the envelope on the counter, and pick up the phone, answering automatically: "Angel Investigations, we help the helpless. This is Cordy speaking. How can I help you today?" I asked this half-heartedly, my mind occupied now.

The man on the other end begging me for help, telling me about how he'd made a huge mistake: there was no way that he knew or else he'd never slept with that demon. He thought that she was a human, how was he to know that she was a shape-shifting demon. And to top it off, it had told him that she was pregnant with his child. There was no way that he could have a baby with that freak. Wasn't there anything they could do? "Can't you, I don't know, cut its head off or something? It is after all, a demon."

I was fuming. That fucking asshole wanted us to kill his pregnant ex-girlfriend. It reminded me of my first time, and I didn't like it. Why the hell did I sleep with Wilson Christopher? It was my first time, and to be honest, it wasn't all that good. I wished that I could've waited. The jerk seduced me with a couple of lines, and I fell for it. I was lonely, and I just wanted to feel wanted for once in my life. Instead, Wilson not only took my virginity, but left me pregnant with a horde of demon spawn. Listening to the asshole on the phone, I wanted to slam the phone down on him, but I was afraid that he'd call someone else to do his bidding.

I put on a fake smiley voice, similar to my high school days, and arrange for him to meet me at the hotel for a consultation in a half an hour. I took down his name (what kind of girly name is Sheridan anyway?) and his phone number. After I had gotten enough information to make sure that if he put out a hit, it'd be easy to trace him, I had said, "Have a nice day," then slammed the phone down hard. I left the pad on the desk as I walked around to the front.

I took a large deep breath. GOD! What an asshole. For once, I was glad to have the hotel to myself as I screamed my frustration out loud.

I was happy that the children were at school. I didn't want them around that man; he might infect them or something. Harrison and Connor had finally gotten their driver's licenses, and were driving Angel around while he yelled at them to stop hitting potholes from the trunk. Wesley, Fred, Gunn, and Andrea had made an appointment with a bridal consultant. Why they felt the need to use a bridal consultant was beyond me. I mean, I helped Faith with her wedding and everything turned out perfect.  Spike and Lorne were at Caritas doing who-know-what. Those two are awfully secretive these days. Faith was out taking a walk, claiming that she needed some fresh air to keep from throwing up.

So it was just me then…and the bastard sleeping upstairs. He isn't locked up anymore, Angel and Spike let him walk around the hotel at his will. They keep telling me that he wouldn't hurt anyone. That he couldn't risk it, or it'll come back on him three times worse. I hope so, as I picked up the phone to make an important phone call.

After my phone call, I went into Wesley's office. Funny how it stayed Wesley's office. It was once Angel's, but after the beige period…it became Wesley's. Wesley became in charge. Angel is back to being in charge, but the office remained Wesley's. Angel's desk is next to mine, slightly more improved than the serving tray that it used to be. I reorganized the office, moving the books that littered the top of the desk to the empty shelves behind it. I picked up the coffee mugs, pens, sheets of paper, and disks to organize them in their appropriate areas. That Wesley…I think fondly.

I moved the chair in the corner in front of the desk and then quickly dusted off the tops of everything. With another breath, I ran upstairs to change into some professional attire. It's been a while since I've interviewed a client; usually I stay to the more active parts, preferring to work with Spike, Faith, Angel, and Gunn. Wesley, Fred, and Gunn usually interview the walk-in clients: the human ones anyway. Lorne and Spike usually handle the non-humans, although I must admit Faith is getting better in that role, when they get over fearing a slayer. I also handle the billing, something that used to give me the utmost pleasure; now, it's just a pain in the butt, especially if the clients can't afford to pay us. Well, the number one priority is helping the helpless, making money falls below that.

After I got dressed and cleaned up the office a little more, I made some coffee, and then sat down to center myself. Angel had taught me how, showing me some calming breathing techniques along with the tia chi. A short while later, the door chime rang and my jerk of a client: Sheridan Boyd walked in.

He was exactly as I expected: a player/lady's man who came from money that thought that the world revolved around him. And now that the jerk played the wrong woman, he's panicking. I shook his hand, immediately wanting to wipe it and motioned him to sit down in the chair.

He repeated what he had told me on the phone. I listened to him, trying to plan what I was going to tell him. I was hoping that he'd listen to reason. Once he'd finished his ridiculous explanation on how this wasn't his fault in anyway, it was time to put it into action.

"Well, Mr. Boyd. I'd say that you had a problem. But it's not one that Angel Investigations can handle. I think that you have to go to her and tell her how you feel. Perhaps she doesn't want to have the child either--."

"The child doesn't matter! Just the notion that I'd slept with a THING. God, it's disgusting. If my family ever found out, I'd be written out of the will. And if they found out that I'd fathered a half-breed. Well, I'd be disowned for sure. Listen. I can give you whatever you want. Any amount of money. Please, help me."

"Mr. Boyd, really. We can't help you. Money isn't the problem. I mean, you're a civilized man, you can talk to your girlfriend."

"She isn't my girlfriend! I told you, I just slept with her."

The door chimed again, letting in the woman in question. A few seconds later, she walked into Wesley's office. She was very beautiful. Long flowing blond hair, long legs, and perfect teeth. Her belly swelled with the baby. She must be about 8 months along.

Her voice though, was shrill, "Just slept with her! Just slept with me! Yeah. About thirty times! What was I to you? I thought that you loved me; you told me you loved me! Or was that just to get me in bed?"

Sheridan stood up quickly, jumping to his feet, "Misty? How'd you find me?"

Misty nodded towards me, "Mrs. Angel was kind enough to tell me what you had planned for me. So, you're hiring someone to kill me, huh? Kill our baby? Not man enough to do it yourself?" With that being said, she transformed into her demon visage. A blue demon with scales. Her clothing had also transformed so that she was naked.

"I didn't know that you were a, a thing! How could I love a freak like you?" Sheridan picked up the coffee mug and threw it at her. She expertly ducked it, her movement flowing and graceful, like the majority of her race.

In the blink of an eye, she was by his side, holding a knife at his throat.

"STOP!" I yelled at them. This isn't the way it was supposed to happen. She stopped, looking at me with her yellow eyes.

"Why? So he can kill me? So he can expose me? You should understand what it's like, you're a demon too. I can feel it in you. Don't you understand? It's men like him that give the human race a bad name. It's men like him that made me hate who I was and made me fear going to school as child. He deserves to pay." She looked at me, pleading with me to understand. I did.

"Misty, honey. Listen, I do understand. I understand what it's like, to go to school, having to pretend that you're a completely different person. Hating the person you pretended to be, but having no choice. But this isn't the answer. Please let him go. I'll help you. I won't let him hurt you or the baby. Just, go upstairs. I'll call the police. You can shape-shift back to a human. I have a tape." I went to the bookshelf behind us and stopped hidden tape player from recording. "I recorded his every word. Everything about him wanting you dead. He never said that you were a demon, he just kept calling you a thing or a freak. We don't even have to worry about exposure. I'll call the police and tell them that I caught a man trying to put a hit out on his pregnant girlfriend. He won't see the light of day, alright?"

She seemed to hesitate, the knife in her hands shaking slightly. Misty took a breath, "Alright. I'll do it." She pulled the knife away. Her entire body seemed to vibrate with stress and fear, but she did as I asked.

Misty turned away from Sheridan and left the office. I glared at Sheridan, the tape in my hand, then followed Misty up the stairs. I opened the nearest door and told her to relax. She sat on the bed and started crying. I felt my eyes start to water as I comforted her with a hug.

I left the room after a couple of minutes, leaning against the door with my eyes closed, keeping my tears at bay. I straightened, feeling a sense of necessity to help that woman. I opened my eyes, only to scream.

Sheridan had gotten a hold of a crossbow! And he was pointing it on me.

"I want that tape! And I want her dead! Don't you understand, I have to kill you both now, you filthy demon." I moved to stop him. There was no way that I was going to let that asshole hurt an innocent woman and her unborn child.

I moved fluidly, using the martial arts skills that I had honed to disarm him. The crossbow flew out of his hands and over the staircase. I attacked him, knocking him on his knees. He moved to stop me, so I kicked him in the head, the blow hard enough to knock him unconscious.

My breathing came in gasps now, my heart beating out of my chest. That was a close one. Misty had come out of the room, hearing my scream. She started crying again as she saw what he'd tried to do. I pulled her close to me, as I rubbed her back and whispered reassurances. I was reminded of my children, when they would come running into my arms after a bad dream. Misty seemed to be alright again, asking for the bathroom to freshen up. I pointed to the room down the hall.

I picked up the tape that I had dropped, and moved to go downstairs to call the police; specifically Kate Lockley. The police woman had transferred out of the LAPD's homicide division after her suicide attempt, rather overwhelmed with the knowledge of real evil, like the ones who had murdered her father. She was now working in robbery, but she could still help us; help Misty.

I was focused, there was no way that I was taking 'no' for an answer. Kate owed Angel. Hell, she owed all of us. I was so focused that I didn't notice Sheridan waking up. I didn't notice him standing up quietly behind me.

Not until I felt the shove.

Then I felt nothing.

_Urg. My head. What the hell is going on? Did I fall off the pyramid? _I opened my eyes, blinking away the bright lights. A man that I didn't know was standing over me, asking me if I was okay. I nodded, not able to form words at this moment. My eyes focused on the man…_WOW! Hot momma_! I licked my lips, trying to act cool, and a little sexy.

I sat up, accepting the man's help. I looked around; I was in an old building. _What the hell was doing in an old building_? "What the hell am I doing in this old building?" I asked him.

He gave me this sarcastic grin, "I know. It's not even up to code. You should talk to Angel about it."

"Angel?" I asked. _Buffy's boyfriend_? _What does he have to do with anything_? My eyes opened wider, there's a man on the ground! I screamed.

He turned. "What!? What's the matter?" Now, I noticed it. In his hand, there was a sword. I backed away from him slowly. I started crying.

"Please, please, don't kill me." I backed up until I was against the wall, and then sunk to the ground.

He shook his head at me, "I'm not going to kill you. I'm not going to kill anyone. You know that I can't. He's isn't even dead. I just knocked him out again. What the hell were you thinking by the way? You should've waited for someone before you took this client on. He could've killed you both. Luckily, I was here and that I heard you scream, otherwise, Misty and the baby would be dead, and you'd be next."

"Huh?" God, I'm so confused.

"I heard the tape. It's good evidence, but it doesn't do any good if you're both dead. But any good lawyer would've had it thrown out in a heartbeat unless there were witnesses. I called the police, by the way. They should be here soon. Misty went back to the bedroom. She's crying and asking if you're okay. I told her that you were."

"The police?"

"Yes. The police. That was the genius plan, wasn't it?" He was starting to sound condescending. "God, you are so bent on thinking the worst of me, aren't you? If you'd come to me, I could've helped. I mean, it was only my life's work. I WAS a lawyer, you know. I could've had that asshole on charges before he could blink. But no…you went off on your own, without anyone even knowing about this case, and decided that you were going to handle it." He shook his head at me, the sword swinging as he spoke. The man seemed to realize that he was scaring me, so he put down the sword and held out a hand to help me up.

I let him help me, all the while thinking, _what the hell is going on?_ "What the hell is going on? Who are you?"

He looked at me, blinking now. "What? What do you mean?"

I put my hands on my hips, "What am I talking in Swahili? What is going on and who are you?"

"My name's Lindsey McDonald. Are you okay? Do you know who you are?"

The nerve. "Of course, I know who I am. I'm Cordelia Chase!"

Lindsey stared through me for a moment, "Well, alright Cordelia Chase. Do you know _where_ you are?"

"Ha. If I knew that I wouldn't have asked you what the hell was going on, would I've?" The question was left unanswered as the door to the building burst open and soon filled the room with cops.

This blond cop was in my face, yelling at me about how I was always in trouble and that it was going to land me in jail soon. She started ordering the other cops around, telling them to make sure that they gathered enough evidence.

_God, what is it with blonds thinking they're in charge. She reminds me of Buffy. Urg_. Thank god that Lindsey took over, 'cause I had no clue what was going on. He handed them a tape and told them to take the unconscious guy to jail for attempted murder.

A really pretty woman came down the stairs a few minutes later crying that he'd tried to kill her and her baby. She ran up to me and hugged me, whispering 'thank you' in my ear before she was taken to the police station to make a statement.

The blond came up to me again and told me that I had to come to the station to make a statement. She took hold of my arm and was starting to push me towards the door.

Well, I wasn't going to let this Buffy look-alike order ME around. "Excuse you. Get your hands off of me. I'm not going anywhere with you, you Clairol number 108 dye job."

She put her hands on her hips now, mirroring my pose exactly. Oh no…the bitch's not getting her way. "Cordelia, I'm not playing. You are going to get your ass to the police station. Angel's not going to get you out of it this time. Where is he, by the way? Killing another innocent person?"

I was starting to get pissed off. I opened my mouth to respond when the vampire in question burst in the room from somewhere behind the desk. "Cordy, what the hell happened? Are you okay? What's wrong?" He grabbed me. I pushed away from him.

"What's your childhood trauma? What Buffy dump you or something? Get off me."

He tried to reach for me again. I pushed back. "Hey! I said get off. What'd you go and turn evil again? 'Cause I have no problem with staking you, unlike Miss Likes to Fight A lot."

His brow furrowed as he raised his hands in surrender. "Cordy--"

"It's CORDELIA. C-O-R-D-E-L-I-A. Not Cordy. No one is ever calling me Cordy again. That loser Harris is the first and last, GOT IT?" I yelled at him. There is no way that I'm ever letting anyone call me that again. The only one I let use that nickname hurt me, hurt me bad and I'm not letting anyone do that to me ever again. "What the hell is going on?" My voice resonated through the building.

He looked hurt. "I don't know, Cord-Cordelia. I just got here." Then he shot look at Lindsey. "What the hell did you do to her, you bastard?" Like lightening, he had grabbed him by the throat and held him against the wall.

The blond cop and the cops left in the room ran over to pull Angel away from Lindsey. He threw some of them across the room as if they were flies. A white haired man (wasn't that Spike?) ran over to help Lindsey.

Suddenly, the room started to get smaller as people I didn't know flooded the room and started asking me questions that I had no answer to. I did recognize Wesley in the midst of the chaos and clung to him, hoping for some reprieve.

In Sunnydale, he was the only one who was nice to me. Sure, I know that he's older, but I like that in a man. I need a man like him, one that will do as I want without question. One that won't hurt me. One that I can own. "Own the man," my mother told me millions of times, "Own him, least he owns you. And once you own him, never let him forget it."

The shouting was starting to get to me. My head was pounding as I hid myself in Wesley's chest. I wished for an escape, just for the noise to stop.

The noise stopped.

I pulled my head away and opened my eyes. Darkness and erring quiet was all I knew. _What the hell? How'd I get into an alley_? I barely made a sound as I walked a few steps to make my way out of the darkness. I felt it—a dark sense of danger, of evil. I stopped, suddenly knowing—someone's following me.

It was getting closer. So I did what anyone would do, I screamed and then ran. It jumped down, seemingly from the sky.

It's breath, rank and stunk like Xander's basement. It's face was horribly deformed, black with red eyes. My screams echoed off the buildings. Besides the monster, the buildings, and the stench, there was a sign: Jake's Establishment. AKA Bar. It was a corny sign. Hell, it looked like they couldn't even afford to buy one, instead painting it with neon yellow.

The demon, it grabbed me. Pushed me down. Started to rip my clothes off. I begged for it to stop, all the while fighting as hard as I could. It didn't stop, completing its horror, entering me.

I cried, screamed, and fought for so long; I thought it was a lifetime. At first, I thought that it was over, but it wasn't. Once it finished hurting me,

it killed me.

_Flash_.

I opened my eyes, not seeing anything. The tears blinding me. I only felt—felt arms surrounding me, I tried to fight, but they tightened around me. It wasn't painful, but it was. I didn't want anyone to touch me. That monster, it…hurt me, raped me, killed me.

Why? Why was I still here? Alive? I realized that I was crying. I stopped abruptly. I'm not Cry Buffy. I'm Cordelia Chase. I stiffened in the arms; embracing me, not hurting me. Angel's arms. That caused me to blink furiously away the remnant of tears. _Why would he comfort me_?

I'm not by the stairs anymore, I'm in an office. The police officers vanished. No more annoying blond cop on a power trip, thank god.

_The blond man—it was Spike. Spike and Angelus are back. But why didn't they kill me? Like the monster had? Are they going to torture me, like they did to Giles? Why do they look concerned_?

Wesley's here. He's handing me a cup, telling me to drink it slowly. _Easier said than done, buddy_. Especially since my hands obviously won't stop shaking. Angelus took it from me before I spilled it on myself. _That was nice of him_.

_God, I can't breath, it hurts so much. Not physically, 'cause I figured that it would hurt more…down there, but mentally, emotionally, my mind. It can't grasp it_.

I don't understand. _Where am I? How? Why_? Angelus is talking to me. The words don't make any sense. "Am I a vampire now?"

Spike shakes his head. They both are touching me. My arms, my face… "Get out of my face!" I try to push them away, and they let me go.

Wesley comes closer, "Cordelia, what did you see?" Finally, the words make some kind of sense.

"What did I see?" I repeated.

He nodded at me, "Yes. What did you see? You were screaming. I had to tell the officers to leave. That you were too traumatized by the events."

"I'm dead. It killed me. First, it…it." I couldn't get the words out. "I'm a vampire now?"

Angelus took my hands, weird. "Are my hands cold or your hot?"

Angelus spoke, "Cordelia, you're not a vampire. You're okay. You're not dead. But we need to know exactly what you saw first."

Spike pulled out a chair and made me sit in it. He put his hands on my shoulders and started rubbing them, gently. Angelus kneeled down in front of me, his hands still in mine, while Wesley took out a notepad.

"I was…here, not here, but outside by the stairs first, right?" God my head hurts; I pulled my hands away from Angelus and rubbed my temples. "Oww," I say this. Spike pulls my hands down and starts massaging my temples, the rest of his fingers around my head, almost dancing. I gasp as his fingers find a bump.

"Angel, she's got a big bump. Looks like it bleed a little. It's not bleeding anymore. Maybe she's got a concussion or something?" He tells Angelus.

Angelus's hands move to cup my face making me look into his eyes. I pull away. "I'm not Buffy, I'm not afraid of you." Of course, my voice breaks on the last word. I'm terrified and they all know it.

Wesley's voice tells me that yes…we are in the same old building. _Wherever it is_.

"That blond bitch. I wanted to punch her. Then everyone, too much noise. I wanted to leave. I did, didn't I? I left. I went to an alley. It was really dark. By Jake's. I think, stupid sign. Have I been there before? It seemed…There was a monster, A demon—black. All black, except it's eyes. It—It knocked me down, hurt me, really bad. Then it killed me." Through the entire explanation, I kept my eyes on the doorknob. Didn't look anywhere else. I couldn't. God, It's cold in here. My teeth started chattering.

Angelus said something to Spike and Wesley. They both left the office, carrying weapons with them. Angelus, he stayed. The doorknob is ugly. Couldn't they put in a brass one instead of copper? The doorknob is moving, now it's behind me. It's floating. It's gone away. A new doorknob replaced it. It was nicer, had a carving on it.

At least it's softer now. "The doorknob's gone again." There was a periwinkle ceiling though. "I like that color," I tell Angelus. He—he was pulling off my clothes. "No! Don't!" I fight, using my nails, arms, legs to fight. He stops.

His voice is soft, like he was talking to a baby, "I'm not going to hurt you. You've got blood on your shirt. I was just going to change it for you."

_My shirt_? "Not my pants?" _I would've figured that my pants would be stained_.

Angelus moves so he sits on the edge of the bed, "No. Not your pants. Can I help? I promise I won' hurt you."

I just nod. _Why not? He's going to kill me anyway_. It was strange, how gentle he was. He unbuttoned the shirt slowly, looking at my eyes the entire time. When he was done, he pulled me up to pull the shirt away. There was a new shirt. It was nice. New even and warm. He slipped it on over my head and through my arms. It really was warm. He held my arms longer than necessary, just looking at me. "How's your head?" He asked me.

"Okay," I answer. I don't think he believed me. He moved me to lay down on the bed again, this time covering me with a comforter.

"Don't worry, okay." Angelus tells me, "I'll have Lorne look after Cathy and Nicky. All you have to do is rest."

_Those names sound familiar_. "Okay," I answer again.

I was expecting him to torture me now. He didn't. He just pulled up a chair to sit besides me next to the bed. _Maybe he'll torture me later_, as my gaze focused on the periwinkle again. "It really is a nice color, you know?"

My head floated on a cloud, not sleeping, but just wandering. I don't know how long I lay there, staring at the ceiling. There was a knock on the door. Wesley poked his head in and asked if I was okay. I didn't answer. Angelus took my hand, and he kissed it, telling me that he'd be right back.

I heard them…bits and pieces unable to tell the two voices apart. "…in time? Well, yes and no. The girl's…alive. She's hurt. Raped…hospital. Almost…her neck. Didn't kill her. Angel…Cordy, felt it…Oh, God."

Lindsey, he was there too. How'd he get there? I heard him tell Angelus that I was afraid of him. _Yup, you got that right_. Asked for permission to come in.

A few minutes later after I heard Angelus threaten to kill him, Lindsey walked in and sat in the chair Angelus was sitting in. "Cordelia, Do you remember me? Lindsey?"

I turned my head, "Yes. You yelled at me."

He lowered his head, "Yeah. I'm sorry. You know, I know that it's hard to understand, but you're safe. Angel and Spike, they won't hurt you. Hell, they love you. They'd die for you."

_Huh? Weird_. "I'm not Buffy."

He looked confused, like me. "No. You're not Buffy. Why?"

I don't care to talk anymore. I turn back to stare at the ceiling. There are footsteps, hushed words, then a squeak as the bed leveled out because someone was lying besides me. I just closed my eyes. No one cares, not even Xander.

My first thought revolved around, "Who's going to make breakfast? Connor and Harrison are hungry. They're always hungry." The second thought was, "What is Angelus doing in my room? Why is he holding me like this?"

I moved away from him, getting up. I need a shower. I see the room adjoining; the bathroom with a shower too. I shut the door, and then remove my clothes. There's a mirror, but I don't want to look at myself. I turn on the hot water. I'm still cold; I step in. There's soap, so I use it. I have to get clean; that demon left his gunk on me. It wasn't coming off, so I use the scrubbing sponge.

The water is cold now, but it doesn't matter. It wasn't hot enough to begin with. The door opens. Angelus came in. He looks mad. He shut off the water and pulled me out. I hit him. He let me, so I kept hitting him. Someone else comes in. A woman this time, she's from the south, but why is she wearing that? "Seen the softer side of Sears, have we?" I tell her. God, another Willow. Just what the world needs.

She doesn't seem to care. She helps Angelus get me out of the bathroom. He calls her Fred. _Great, I'm being dressed by a big Lesbo_.

She puts me in hideous clothes; sweatpants and a sweatshirt, I mean, COME ON, who wears that. After she helped me, she took a brush off the vanity and started brushing my hair. _It was nice, and it made me sleepy. But I just woke up. Oh well_.

_Urg. My head. What the hell happened? _I rubbed my head trying to shake away the last traces of sleep. Turning over, I was surprised to find that I was the only one in bed. Trust me, it's very strange to find yourself alone in bed when you are used to sharing a bed with your husband and frequently with one or both of our younger children. 

 I snuggled in deeper in the covers. This was relaxing. I took the chance to check the time—9:00am. _What?! The alarm didn't go off. The kids are going to be late for school. Why didn't Angel wake me_?

I jumped out of bed. The room started to spin. _My head_. I fell to the floor hard, landing on my knees. _God, what is wrong with me_? I couldn't get up. _Where is everyone_?

The door to the bedroom opened. I was expecting the kids or maybe Angel. I wasn't expecting Lindsey. He ran into the room, ran directly to my side actually. At first, I was afraid. After all, the man's a bastard. He didn't hurt me though, he just picked me up off of the floor; the entire time, he spoke kindly to me. Like he actually gave a damn about someone other than himself. My knee was throbbing in time with my head. Lindsey went into my bathroom and came back with a damp wash cloth.

_Alright. Is this the Twilight Zone? First, back to my original question_. "Lindsey, where's Angel?"

Lindsey gazed into my eyes, as if he didn't believe what I'd asked him; he proved that was the case by repeating my question back to me. He placed the wash cloth on my forehead.  I accepted it from him; My head really hurt.

"Angel's at the police station. He has a meeting with Det. Kate Lockley." He said this matter-of-factly.

"The police station. God, what is Kate's problem? It wasn't Angel's fault that her father was dealing with demons and vampires. I have to go. Angel might need help. I mean, what if she's finally cracked and decides to stake him or stick him in a sunlight filled jail cell." I stood up quickly, forgetting that only moments before I was almost flat on my back from dizziness. Lindsey caught me as I fell this time.

"Listen. She's not going to put him in jail. Angel went over there to help Misty. She needs the moral support." He made me sit down again. "The others are busy. It seems that her ex-boyfriend called in a few favors from jail. He put a hit out on her. Luckily, a very smart lawyer got in touch with one of his more secretive informants and got a phone tap placed on the jail phone. Now it's just a matter of tracing the phone calls and hunting down those who are in on it. Wesley, Gunn, Connor, Spike and Harrison have got it."

"Misty—oh, my god. Is she okay? The baby?! That man, Sheridan, he was going to kill her. He—he was here, wasn't he? What happened? What about the children?" Panic was rising. I didn't understand. He was here. We were safe; I was going to call the police. I don't remember what happened after that. "Are my babies okay?"

Lindsey took a deep breath, then motioned to the bed. I nodded, yes it was okay if he sat down besides me. "First of all, the kids are fine. They're with Lorne right now, probably eating tons of junk food. Connor and Harrison are okay too, just worried about you. As for what happened, that's a long story. Do you remember your plan to send Sheridan Boyd to jail?"

There was blessed relief after I had heard that the kids were okay. The tension went down a notch. "Yes. I remember. I planted a tape in the office to record him trying to hire me to kill Misty and the baby. Misty came in at the perfect moment. I got her to safety, put her in a bedroom. I knocked Boyd out because he tried to kill me. I was going to go call the police. But I can't remember anything else."

"That's understandable. You've got a pretty big bump on the back of your head. You've been completely out of it for the last two days. Hell, you kept calling Angel Angelus. He was getting upset at that. You also kept saying that you weren't Buffy. No one could understand why." He looked deep in thought. "Do you remember the vision?"

"The vision…what--," I stopped. Shit. The vision, the emotions, the memories of the last two days, everything came back. But it was too much at once. Too many flashes of memory. All the pain, all the hurt, all of the fear, everything bombarded my aching head. It was too much. I stood up, not caring of the consequences, just ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet.

It seemed like my stomach would never empty. The wash cloth that I had ripped off in running in here had been replaced. Lindsey sat besides me on the linoleum tile. He didn't say a word, he just sat there until I was ready to get up.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him as he handed me a cup of water. Why indeed? I hated him. And more-so, he knew that I hated him. The man had been living in my home for almost the last month and I had not looked at him, nevertheless spoken to him the entire time. And here he was, being nice to me.

He ran his hands threw his hair, "I suppose because I'm sorry."

I snort, "You're sorry? You should be sorry." He had put my family through hell. Hurt us in a way that will never heal. My son, Connor, he lives his life as 'the Destroyer' because he'd never had the chance to become anything else living in Quar'toth.

"But I am. You don't think that I hate who I am? Who I've become? I can't look at myself anymore. At first, I thought it was just the curse. But it's not. It's me. I became who I hated the most. When I was a child, I had nothing. There were adults who came by our house, the Child Services. They dressed up in designer suits, taking down their notes on the legal notebooks, judging our life just because we were poor. They looked down on us. And now, I look at myself and I've become one of them. I hate myself. But you know what? I see Faith, Spike, and Angel. I mean, they—they were murderers, killers; they caused some of the worst horrors the world has ever seen. But you know what I see when I look at them now; HOPE. Hope that one day, I can be redeemed." He put his head down into his chest. His breathing was labored.

When he looked back up, his eyes were moist. "I thought that they did it on their own. I tried to. That's why I helped Harrison and Connor patrol every night. I thought that I could do it on my own. Without anyone's support. I didn't think that I needed any; After all, Angel, Spike, and Faith didn't need anyone to hold their hands. I was wrong about everything. I thought that they did it by themselves…but it was you. You were the one—the one that supported them all. You're still doing it. Hell, I didn't even know that you were doing it. Not until you stopped. These last couple days, when you were confused: the entire place nearly fell apart. Fred always joked about you being the heart of Angel Investigations. It wasn't a joke, you really are the heart and soul of this place. Angel was a wreck. All he could do was sit by your side and pray that you'd be okay. Spike, well, everyone ganged up on him, just like they always do, but this time it wasn't so friendly. And Faith, well, I don't think that she's stopped throwing up without your herbal teas." Lindsey stood up now, pacing the bedroom.

He started again after a few minutes, "So now, I'm thinking. I have no one. They all have you. You help them. You see the good in them. Hell, you see the good in everyone, well, everyone except for me. Is that because I don't have any good in me? Or is it because you hate me? Because I hurt you?" His voice took on a shaky tone, "I was hoping that I could find out. That if I did better. Became 'good' that you'd help me like you help them."

Lindsey came over to the side of the bed where I was sitting and kneeled in front of me. He took my hands and put them to his mouth. The tears he'd been hiding finally spilled over onto my hands. "Please, help me. Please, I can't do this by myself anymore. Please. Please…" The cries turned to deep sobs as he leaned against my legs, begging for forgiveness.

I turned to the doorway. Angel was there. I knew that he was, I felt him. I looked at him, so confused. The man hurt us; he practically killed us and now he wants forgiveness. As I look at my husband, I knew. So many times had I held him, comforting him as the memories of Angelus took hold, making him weep at the evil he'd caused. Every time, I told him that I forgave him. That he was different; he was no longer evil, only good. To refuse the same to Lindsey would be negating every word that I'd whisper in Angel's ear.

So I did what my heart told me to. To forgive him. I held Lindsey against my chest as he cried, and whispered the same reassurances that I whispered to them all.

                                                                            "

April 30th (Hyperion Hotel)

Cathy has talked Connor and Harrison into playing tea party with her and her dolls. I'd run for the camera, if I didn't know that Connor'd use his vampire speed to get out of the picture, so I take a mental one from her bedroom doorway. They haven't seen me yet. Not only did she talk them into sitting at her pink Barbie table, but she also painted their fingernails. This was one of those pure happiness moments that put our soul binding rings to work, as Angel came up behind me and put his arms around my waist. I leaned into him, loving him with all of my heart. We stay there watching for a few more minutes, until Connor finally notices us and blushes a deep red. I smile at him, understanding his embarrassment, but not about to do anything about it; Cathy is too happy playing with her big brothers.

Angel with his arms still around me pulls me away from Cathy's room. Once out of the children's view, he kisses me so deeply and passionately that it doesn't seem possible that we've been married for almost eight years. Everyday seems like a honeymoon with each other. We slowly make our way towards our bedroom, our mouths still on each other. I open the door and we slip inside unnoticed. Angel undresses me so gently that it makes the sensations that much more exciting. My eyes close as I wait for him to undress.

I'm waiting. Okay…I'm waiting. I open my eyes to see Angel sitting on my vanity seat, not undressed, but staring at me. "Angel," I gasp, "What are you doing? Why aren't you-?"

He smiles, it's one of those smirky smiles that I really hate, "Why what?" He is still staring at my naked body.

Okay…I cross my arms over my chest. He's sleeping on the couch tonight. "You're sleeping on the couch tonight buster."

His smirk becomes a laugh. "I don't think so."

"What?! I think so. I mean, you get me naked and then just stare at me. Whatever." _Urg_. It takes everything in me not to go over there and rip his clothes off. _Actually, that's not a bad idea_. I make my way over to him, wanting to unbutton his shirt. He takes a hold of my hands and stops me. _Urg_.

Angel pulls me close to him, his mouth right against my ear. "This is payback." Then he pulled away from me and backed up a couple steps.

"What?! What payback? I didn't do anything. What is your problem, Angel?" Okay, the mood is gone. I go over to the closet to get my robe. He definitely isn't going to see me naked for a long time. Angel comes up and puts a hand against the closet door, preventing me from opening it.

I'm getting annoyed with his games now. "Angel," I yelled at him, "I'm getting cold. I want my robe. Get out of the way, you're so not getting any tonight."

He turns me to face him, "I told you, I don't think so." A hand is raised after I try to interrupt, "Not after you see your surprise."

My eyebrows must've shot up to the ceiling. "Surprise? What surprise?" I love surprises. "It's not my birthday yet. It's next month Angel."

He leans in closer, "It's not a birthday present, Cordy. I'll give it to you, but you're not allowed to see it until I'm done. Is that a deal?"

"Huh? I'm not allowed to see it. Why not? What is it? Angel, please tell me or I'll die of curiosity." I beg. I don't like waiting for presents and he knows it.

The smile is back, "Nope. You have to keep your eyes closed and since I know that you'll probably sneak a peek anyway. I'm going to blindfold you."

The air has gone cooler, since I'm no longer 'hot.' "Angel, I'm naked. Can't I at least get my robe first?"

Angel just shakes his head 'no.' Then he pulls out the blindfold and ties it around my eyes. Darkness.

I can still hear his voice, "Okay. Now I'm going to ask you to do things, and you're just going to do them. Alright?" He doesn't wait for an answer.

I feel him lowering himself to his knees in front of me. I take in a deep shaky breath, gasping his name. He lifts up my knee as I feel something incredibly soft and silky brush against my foot, my leg.  The other foot is lifted as the material is slipped on. The silk is pulled up and adjusted in its proper place. How he did this without touching me was remarkable, especially since I was trying to lean into him. Angel stand up, opening the closet. I can hear him. He comes back to me a few seconds later, lifting my arms up to dress me.

I laugh, I don't think that he'll figure out how to put on my bra. He's only taken them off. But as it's weight finally registers, I realize that it's not a bra. It's a corset. He goes around behind me and starts lacing it, making it tight against my ribs, but not too tight that I can't breath. I can hear him laughing as his hands adjust the front of it, again without touching me. _Urg_… The next sensation is a skirt slipping over my head. It's long.

I soon find that it wasn't a skirt, but a slip. Angel goes back to the closet. I can hear a bag open. It's not a plastic bag, but a zippered garment bag. Whatever it is sounds expensive. I don't think I'm mad at him anymore. He tells me to sit on a chair, placing the chair against my leg so that I can find it without looking.

Wow. It's heavy, the dress. Very heavy. He slips it over my head, fitting it correctly over my shoulders and waist before letting me stand up. Like magic, the dress slips down and covers my legs. Angel goes around me again to button the back. It doesn't even have a zipper. It sounds expensive.

"Okay. Can I take off the blindfold now?" I ask him, practically bouncing up and down. I have to see this.

"Not yet." He says this like he's talking to the children. _Urg_.

"Oh. Come on."

"No. Not yet. Now, sit back down." I hear him move to the bedroom door. I hear the clicktyclop of a woman's shoes. Fred's shoes.

"Oh. Wow, Cordy. You look beautiful." She breaths.

I smile, "Really? Okay, I have to see now." I move my hands to pull at the blindfold. Angel's hands grab mine before I got a chance to.

"Not yet," he says patiently.

Fred comes closer, "Cordy, I'm going to fix your hair, so I have to take off the blindfold. You have to promise you won't open your eyes though."

I sigh, "okay, I promise."

I can feel the brush against my hair. The pins holding it in place as Fred styles it in an up-do. It feels pretty. After she finishes, she moves over and tells me that she's going to do my makeup. I agree to hold still for her.

Finally it seemed like forever, but she was done. I felt like a princess, having a maid-in-waiting dress me and make me look beautiful. I blush, feeling stupid. Fred wasn't a maid, like I wasn't a real princess, no matter what my seven year old daughter might think. I don't know what put that in my head.

Fred left the room, leaving me and Angel alone again. He told me to stand, as I heard the drawers open. I heard a click as something opened. He moved behind me. At first, the coldness shocked my skin, but quickly warmed as the necklace was latched. On my ears, earrings were placed gently. He took my hands in his again. Rings put on. He kissed each finger sweetly.

He pulled me over to where I knew was my mirror. "Okay, Cordy. You can open your eyes now."

I slowly opened my eyes wanting to make the moment last as long as possible. I gasped. Oh, my. My hands went to my mouth. I looked like a princess. Complete with tiara. I didn't even feel it when Fred put it on. The gold gown glittered, absolutely shimmering. It's bodice lined with real gold and diamond jewels. The jewels sparkled like none I'd seen before.

I turned to look at Angel. I lost my breath. He was dressed in similar fashion. His black tuxedo had a gold lining that made him look regal, in fact. He smiled at me. This time, a true happy smile. "Cordy, you are the most gorgeous woman in the world." He kissed my cheek.

"Angel. Oh, my god. We can't afford this. Hell, we can't afford the slip. It's too much. Where are we going to wear this to?"

He shook his head, "Don't worry about it, Cordy. Trust me, it's an antique, made especially for a princess. I didn't pay a dime for it."

I had to ask, "Does this mean that it was Darla's? Because I don't care how hot I look in it, I won't wear it."

He looked up sharply, "No. No, Cordy. It wasn't Darla's, or Dru's. It's yours. No one has ever worn it, ever. It was made for a princess, since I've never met a princess; it stayed in my collection until I met you. My Princess."

I kissed him. He's such a sweet talker. "Thank you, Angel. This was perfect. I feel a lot better. I know that I've been really quiet about everything, especially that last vision that I'd love to forget about, but you didn't have to do this for me. I'm okay."

He just looked into my eyes, "I know that you're okay. Everything's okay. But you can't go to your High School Reunion dressed in a sweat suit, no matter how sexy I think you look like in it."

"My high school reunion? Oh, I forgot all about it. Angel, I wasn't even planning on going. You didn't have to do this."

Angel kissed me once more, "Yes. I did. I love you and we are going to that reunion. We're going to go and make everyone who ever knew you jealous because I have you, and they don't. I love you." He kissed me again.

A knock on the door interrupted. "Hey, Angel. Woah. Cordy. You look hot. Damn. Wow. The car's here for you."

I run to the window, a white limo was waiting in front of the hotel for us. My eyes watered as I looked back at my husband. "I love you too, Angel. Thank you."

We climbed into the limo, the children waving at the door to us and wishing us luck, fun, and happiness. In that moment, I felt like one of Cathy's princesses.

…And they all lived happily ever after…

The End

**_Disclaimer_****:** I do not own Angel: the series or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer shows or characters. I do however own the characters of Cathy Lucy Angel and Nicholas (Nicky) Wood. No money is exchanging hands. Please don't sue me. The character of "Misty" is obviously a Mystique like 'mutant' from the X-men series. I don't own her as well, she's just a demon in my story.

**_Summary_**_:_ This story is the sequel to Fast Forward. (_Sorry, I spelled Lindsey's name wrong. It's Lindsey with an 'e' not 'a'_.) Connor has finally come back home after living in Quar'toth for ten years. Each chapter will focus on a separate character's point of view as Connor adjusts to being back home and living with his family.

**_Pairings_**: Angel/Cordy, Faith/Wood, Fred/Wesley, Gunn/OC, Spike/Buffy, later on Connor/Dawn, Anya/Xander, Willow/Kennedy.

The song that inspired this story is This Year by Christina Aguilera. (Click to get the lyrics)

If you want to skip around to other chapters first you can, but they might not be up yet. I just put in the links in advance. They are all separate stories with different points of view.

**_Rating_**: PG-13 to R for Language. Mostly the F word. I use some other bad language, but nothing you probably haven't heard anywhere else.

NEXT CHAPTER: May.

Coming soon.


	9. May Spike's POV

**This story is dedicated to Imzadi, my muse. This is for her. Imzadi, your wish came true. Sorry for giving you a hard time about it. It took a while, but I see the light now. (There is also a corresponding MUSIC VIDEO that goes along with this story. It's called "The Reason". It's really a good video, you all must watch it. I'm making it required. It's located at Music Videos Page 2. Hope that you like it.**

**Summary: **Spike is having tons of fun. (NOT) Also Crossover with Tru Calling. (As usual)

Please Read **Author's Note** below.

**Rated: PG 13**

**This Year**

**By: Sensue**

**Prologue (Tru Davies' POV)**

****

_San Francisco_

_City Morgue_

_Midnight_

I can't believe what a boring night this is. The only thing more interesting than the current nightly infomercial is Davis' selection in aftershave. Davis definitely needs to get out more, especially if he thinks that the aftershave he picked would attract women.

The radio sparked to life, explaining that a body was found in an alley. It was being brought in for an autopsy. I hit my forehead with my palm. Damn. I jinxed myself by saying that I was bored.

At least, I haven't had a 'repeat day' in about two weeks. They were getting to be too much for me to handle, having to rescue people along with trying to help my sister, Meredith and brother, Harrison battle their addictions. I was so relieved when my half sister Faith agreed to help me with them. She helped Meredith get over her overdose and with-drawl. Now Meredith is trying to find a "non-stressful" job. Harrison is living with Faith and her family now. I call him every week to check on him. He tells me that he hasn't even thought about gambling while he's been in L.A. I'm so glad that he's made a friend his age. It's funny; every other word out of his mouth is "Connor and I did this…" or "said that" or "He taught me…"

The sound of the body being wheeled in from the hall distracted me from my thoughts. The body was being situated on the exam table when Davis walked in. He came over with the post-mortem exam kit and the paperwork. We chatted together as we pulled on the gloves.

I took a breath, and then unzipped the bag from his face. This was definitely someone who had died before his time, as I stared at the handsome young face.  Looking at him brought my thoughts back to Harrison. I thanked the gods that he was away; safe in L.A. instead of getting beat up in alleyways. It would've only taken time for him to end up dead probably by pissing off the wrong bookie or dealer that he owed money to.

Davis was starting to catalog the injuries: the main one being the ugly wounds on his neck. Two puncture holes on his neck, along with massive blood loss was now listed as the cause of death. Davis scratched his head at that one, trying to figure out how that could've happened. There was no ID on the body and no identifying marks except for a tattoo of a snake on his upper arm. Davis was now checking under the young man's nails for signs of a struggle, when the man's head turned towards me.

Damn it, I thought, I guess this is a repeat day after all. The eyes opened to reveal the strangest colored eyes that I'd ever seen. I was expecting the customary "help me" that usually followed.

It didn't.

Davis gasped, his eyes wide and full of fear. "Tru, What the HELL!?" His words were cut off as the hand reached up and grabbed his neck, choking him. Davis didn't even have enough air to scream as the dead man bit him; his neck starting to bleed down his white shirt.

For a moment, blind panic froze me. I couldn't think as I watched Davis' body fall to the floor. It—it was no longer a man—seemed to fly at me. I jerked away, fear springing me into action. The exam tray was besides me, so I threw the scalpels, scissors, and anything else that I could get my hands on. The scalpels penetrated his chest. He howled; his face and teeth pulling back inside, no longer a monster anymore. He growled once more at me and then ran out the door into the night.

I stood there trembling, weakly leaning against the table. My body shaking hard. I heard Davis moan softly. He's still alive! My relief so sudden that it caused me to sink to the floor besides him. I held him in my arms, my hands now soaked with blood as I tried to stop the bleeding. I screamed for an ambulance.

I heard running from the hall, the cleaning crew was still here. She acknowledged me and ran into the office to call 911. As I waited for the ambulance, my thoughts revolved around one thing. The last thing Davis had said.

"What the hell was that thing?"

**Chapter Eight: May (Spike's POV)**

****

**_Author's NOTE_**_: Okay, you can probably figure this out from Spike's dialogue, but I'll explain anyway just to make sure we're all on the same page. Tru called Faith for help, telling her that she'd been attacked by a 'monster'. Faith tells Angel, who in turn, tells everyone about the vamp trouble in San Francisco. Everyone decides to go there to clean-up the area, or to at least, let all the demon population know that the area is protected by Angel Investigations. Faith, Robin, Angel, Cordy, Fred, Gunn, and Wesley all leave L.A. to go to San Fran for the weekend only. (Saturday, and Sunday) Lorne, obviously, has a club to run over the weekend, so he doesn't go either. Connor and Harrison don't want to go. Lindsey and Spike have to stay in L.A. to hold down the fort and to babysit Cathy and Nicky. Faith has also finally decided to tell her sister the truth about herself: that she is a slayer and that vampires, demons, etc, really do exist. _

"Bloody hell."

I must've said it a thousand times today. Why the bloody hell did everyone think it was a good idea to leave me here with the bits? They weren't thinking, that's why!

"Yeah, why don't we just hop a train to San Fran? Faith's sister is barney with a couple of vamps; we should take the whole crew over there to help her! Oh, and we should probably tell her everything about us while we're at it. She should know that her sister's a slayer. Yeah, Tru, sis, guess what!? I'm a slayer! And you know how you thought that Harrison was perfectly safe with us, well, he's been dusting vampires and demons this entire time. Gambling, you say, NO that's not dangerous at all. Fighting with demons who can spit acid at you, now that can get you killed. Oh, don't worry. We'll just stake those vampires who bit your boss, but just so you know, there are thousands more where they came from. Just carry a stake in your purse. We all do! Bullocks!" I jerk in the chair once more, my voice becoming more and more sarcastic as I struggled.

"Spike, we'll only be gone over the weekend. Just keep an eye on the kids for us while we're away. We're sure that Connor and Harrison will watch the little ones for you, but just make sure they're not pigging out on junk food or throwing wild parties. Oh, and the bloak, Lindsey'll be here with you too, just in case if you need to get something or if the kids have to go out during the day. In case! Bloody hell! Where's he now when I need him? Oh, yeah. He's off 'helping the helpless' at a runaway shelter. 'Hey, man, you still looking to do some good out here? Well, I know a lady [_Anne_] who's always looking for help at a shelter on Crenshaw. She'd be grateful, ya know and you'd be getting in good with the PTBs.' Yeah, right, Baldy! He's going over there to 'help', not just to chat up the pretty little lady. God! That woman, I swear I've seen her before. URGG." [_Obviously, Spike has seen her before: as Chantrelle._]

I jerk in the chair again, trying to free myself of the rope tying me down. I can hear Cathy and Nicky running around the house laughing and having a merry good ol' time. And where the hell are Harrison and Connor? I knew I should talked Angel into taking them with them. But no, "We're too cool to go with our parents. We'll just stay here and help Uncle Spike. We promise we'll be good." I'm going to kill them. They disappeared the minute everyone left. Sure they call, but they don't let me get a word in edgewise before they hang up. They're probably out hunting demons or something, or whatever they feel like at the moment. They need girlfriends. Other than my little bit, Dawnie. I don't like the way Angel, Jr. looked at her and I definitely don't like the way he kissed her. She's just a little girl, much too young for the likes of him.

Why'd I agree to play 'Cowboys and Indians' with the bits? Why'd I let them tie me up with enchanted rope? I can't break free out of it.  I sigh, "Bloody hell! Cathy! Nicky! Can you please untie Uncle Spike now? I promise that I'll play whatever game that you want." Nothing…no response. "And I'll let you order pizza tonight!" Nope. "And, we'll get some ice cream too."

The pounding of running footsteps entered the kitchen. I guess the ice cream bribe worked. A stained face and feathered rumpled ponytails jumped in my lap, followed by ripped shorts and dirty hands. I was greeted by smiles, laughter lighting their eyes. I sighed again; there was no way I could yell at them. I smiled back. "Could one of you please untie me? I surrender. You both win." They laughed as they untied me as quickly as they could; in this case it took them twenty minutes. I had to fight to keep myself from struggling against them, waiting patiently as I could for them to finish.

Finally, I stood up, stretching myself, I'm free _after four hours_ of being tied up. Wriggling around some more, I picked the two "Indians" up to get them cleaned up. Climbing up the stairs with my two burdens kicking and screaming to the bathroom wasn't my idea of a Saturday evening fun. I got them to the bathroom with a couple of bruises on my shins that I didn't have before. I shut the door behind me before I put them down to prevent their escape. I put down Nicky first, he'd be less likely to throw a fit than Cathy. They knew what was coming. With one hand, I turned the faucets on testing the water and plugging the tub.

Cathy kept struggling in my arms, so I had to put her down before the tub had filled. She tried to make a run for it but I caught her. "No, no bath!" She kept yelling.

"Yes. Yes, bath! You both have to get clean. How'd you get so filthy?" I picked her up again and threw her in the tub, clothes and all. She cried for a moment, before she adjusted to the situation and started playing with the bubbles I'd poured in right after her. Well, I had a hell of a time getting her out of the wet clothes. Tossing them in a pile, I grabbed the baby shampoo and started cleaning her feather filled hair. God, they must've destroyed Fred's down pillow. After I had gotten her clean, I wrapped her tightly in a towel and made her sit on the toilet until I had helped Nicky wash as well. Doing the same for him, I quickly dried them off and put them in their PJs. 

"Uncle Spike, we don't want to sleep. We want ice cream, please." Oh, they started begging me, giving me the lip. I did promise them ice cream, so I agreed to let them have one spoon each of vanilla ice cream before bedtime, if they promised to brush their teeth and go to sleep right after. They both shook their head yes, so I took them into the kitchen and started scooping out ice cream into a bowl. I tied napkins around their necks to keep the ice cream off their PJs.

The clock read 7:00 pm. It was the bits bedtime. Lindsey was due to come back at 8:00pm, while the boys usually came in later. Nicky and Cathy had slowly eaten their ice cream, their eyes getting sleepy as they swallowed their treat. With a washcloth, I cleaned them off and pushed them upstairs to brush their teeth. They came out a few minutes later, ready for bed. The three of us walked into Cathy's room, where a mat and sleeping bag had been set up for Nicky. They liked to share a room while their parents were away. My room was just down the hall, and my vampire hearing was better than Cordy's baby monitor. I can hear anything that happens in the entire hotel.

I was about to kiss them goodnight, but they begged for a story. So I sat down besides them, snuggling, whispering stories that my mum had used to tell me at bedtime. They had fallen asleep half way through. I turned the lamp off, tucked them in tightly, then shut the door.

I walked down to the lobby again, cleaning up the mess we'd made earlier. Damn feathers got in everything. Pulling out the vacuum, I sucked up all of them that I could get. I'd wager that we'll be finding feathers for weeks. Fred's going have to get herself a new pillow or at least make her new fiancé get it for her. Wesley'd go to the moon for her if she'd ask.

Taking an unneeded breath, I sat down on the couch turning on the telly. Oh, look it's "Nick and Jessica's Variety Hour." I'll just watch that. Love that woman, especially in that getup. The door to the hotel opened, Lindsey walking in smiling.

"Hey, Spike. Wonderful evening, isn't it?" He practically bounced in. _Oh, yeah…helping the helpless. Right._

My jaw clenched, "Oh, yeah. So wonderful, in fact. Thank you for all of your help with the bits, by the way. I hope they weren't too much trouble."

He grinned at me, I wanted to punch him, "The kids giving you a hard time?"

"Yeah, you could say that. Help any helpless?" I asked him, thinking that he probably flirted with the blond the entire time.

He sat down next to me, "Actually, yes. I did." He leaned back, relaxing, he turned his face towards me, "Angel tell you my story?" I nodded. "Well, this is the first time that I've ever realized that there are people out there, kids in fact, in worse shape than I'd ever been in. I mean, as a child, I practically lived on the streets, my parents trying to get food for me and my siblings, it never being enough for all of us. But there are kids out there, right now, that can't even think food. They're trying not to get killed. I met a teenaged boy today. He, I swear, he couldn't be thirteen. He's got vampires feeding off of him on a daily basis. They give him food if 'he's good'. Damn. I never realized that it was this bad. Anne, she runs the place, she told me that he's not the only one. She told me that sometimes the parents SELL their kids to demons or vampires as slaves. There's got to be a way to stop this. Anne, she's trying her best, but she can't do it by herself. I told her that I'd be back tomorrow to help out. She's got a leak in the ceiling that she can't afford to pay for right now, so I volunteered to fix it for her."

I looked at him, "How the bloody hell can you fix a roof?"

He gave me that annoying grin again, "I used to do some odd jobs around town to get into Law School. I know how to fix a roof. I know how to build a house actually…I used to work construction for four years. You learn a lot of things doing that. I also met Anne's adopted son, Ryan today. He's a great kid. Reminds me of Cathy, you know, full of life and mischief." He went back to smiling.

The telly got louder for a commercial break, so I got up to get us some beer. I came back a few minutes later, both of us watching as Jessica fought with her husband and nearly popped out of her dress. We watched in a daze as she jiggled as she sang.

The phone rang, forcing me to turn my head away. I repeated halfheartedly, "Angel Investigations, we help the helpless." All thoughts of Jessica flew from my brains as the words the caller said started to make sense.

"Bloody hell. What do you mean, do we know a Connor Angel and Harrison Davies? Of course, I'm their uncle. Their parents are out of town. I'm watching after them. Where are they? In JAIL? What for? Those idiots!!! No. I'm coming. Be right there." I slammed down the phone, grunting.

"I'm going to bloody well kill them! What were they thinking? Damn it!" I paced around, running my hands through my bleached hair. "Angel's going to kill me. Argg."

Lindsey turned off the telly to stand up next to me, he looked at me questioningly.

"Yeah. Harrison and Connor got themselves thrown in jail. We've got to go downtown to post their bail."

"Do you know what they did?" He asked.

"Yeah, trespassing. Don't know where." I hit the end table with my fist. "Alright. I've got to go get them. You watch the kids?"

Lindsey put a hand out to stop me from leaving, "Wait. Listen, I was a lawyer. I can help you, help them. I'll go with you."

"You can't go with me. Who's gonna watch the bits?" I looked at him as he looked at me. I sighed again, "Yeah, I go get them up."

An hour later, the four of us drove to the police station to get the dumb asses out of jail. Cathy and Nicky looked at me bleary eyed from the back seat, wondering where we were going. I told them not to worry, we just had to go pick up Connor and Harrison. I pulled into the police station parking lot, then turned off the engine. I hit my head on the steering wheel before I unbuckled myself and helped Lindsey pull the kids out of their safety booster seats.

This was not going to be easy. I carried the bits, watching as Lindsey pulled himself up into 'lawyer mode.' He was no longer a lawyer though…Wolfram and Hart had taken everything from him, including his law degree. But that didn't mean that he'd forgotten everything that he'd learned.

We walked up to the desk, asking to see Harrison Davies and Connor Angel. The desk clerk looked as tired as we were. He was slow as he typed in the names to find out the situation. I was going to jump in and start yelling, when surprisingly Lindsey started talking funny. Didn't understand a word. Something about legalities and rights. Don't know exactly what it was, but the clerk got up and called over his boss.

Lindsey told me that he'd take care of the problem, as he walked away still arguing with the officers. Cathy was still sleeping against my shoulder. Nicky wasn't sleeping yet, but was definitely not aware of what was going on around him. A woman officer at the desk next to the clerk's took pity on my and let me sit at her desk, the kids on my lap. She smiled at me, told me that my children were so adorable. I smiled at her, thanking her for the chair. Her chair rocked and twisted, so I could rock the bits to sleep. I hummed the song my mum had hummed to me a hundred years ago.

I looked at the bits. Sometimes, I do wish they were mine; that I was their father. Feeling their heartbeats against my unbeating chest, feeling their breaths against my neck, and their little hands holding mine, I did wish it. I'd never have this. Can't have children, no matter how hard I wished. It wasn't possible. Angel's the one with the miracle children, not me. Hell, if it would've happened, it would've happened already. I'd slept with Buffy enough times. We weren't going to have any children, so I take comfort in Angel, Cordy, Robin, and Faith's children. Hell, give it a couple of months, Faith'll have 'nother one soon. Fred's bound to have some too. I'm glad that I'm an uncle and that I have a hand in raising them.

Then again, as I look around the police station…maybe I don't want them. Look what they grow up to be. Annoying, disrespectful, know-it-all, punk teenagers.

Looking at the clock, it's now midnight. The bits are sleeping uncomfortably. I don't know where Lindsey and that officer disappeared off to. Certainly, it doesn't take this long to get someone out of jail. I could've broken them out by now.

Still rocking the bits in the chair, I sat staring at the clock. Watching it as it moved from 12:30 am to 2:00 am, then to 4:30 am. Finally, the metal barred door opened to reveal Connor and Harrison in handcuffs coming out of the cells. Lindsey was following after them, telling the officers to remove the cuffs. The cuffs were removed as they were taken into another room filled with windows. I was motioned in, so I stood, being careful not to wake the bits. I walked in, Lindsey shutting the door behind me. Connor reached over to gently take his sister from me, while Harrison held Nicky.

Keeping in mind the sleeping bits, to keep from yelling as loud as I could at them, I calmly asked them, "What the bloody hell did you two do?"

They looked down, then at each other trying to decide who was going to talk first. Connor went first, explaining that they had been patrolling the nicer parts of L.A., they had heard a woman scream, so the climbed up a fenced area to rescue the woman. How were they to know that they were taping a horror movie? There wasn't a sign or anything. The director was so mad at them for interrupting the 'most crucial' part of the movie, that he called the police to arrest them for trespassing.

I hit my head on the table in front of me. Only them. Lindsey hid a smile behind his hand as he scrubbed his face. He told them that he had gotten the charges dropped and that they needed to fill out some paperwork before they could go home. 'Some paperwork' had turned out to be almost a book. It took them another couple hours to fill out. We walked out of the room, the bits being carried by the boys.

As we walked by, we ran into that blond cop that gave the Princess a hard time. Unfortunately, we couldn't slip by without her noticing us. She stopped us, then bored us to tears with her ranting. "Why am I not surprised that Angel's family is in jail? Could it be that you all think that you're above the law? Murder any innocent people lately? You know it's only a matter of time before you all end up where you belong; in jail, behind bars for the rest of your lives. A lovely sun-lit cell." Her voice rose as she continued speaking. She turned towards Connor, Cathy, Nicky, and Harrison. I put myself in front of them to protect them. "Look at what you're doing to those children. Do you really think that they deserve to live like this? You're corrupting their innocence. They're going to live their lives in fear of real monsters. They deserve a real family…a human family. Not your freak house." She stuck up her nose at me. Other officers had turned to look at her commotion.

I didn't care that I was in a police station. I turned towards the boys and told them to wait by the car with the bits. Lindsey stood behind me and slightly to the side, covering my back. Waiting until I knew the bits were safe, I grabbed her shirt and pulled her up to my face, and as quick as possible whispered in her ear, "Funny you should say that, considering that your father never gave a damn about you. The bits are happy with us, were you ever happy with your family? Also, why do they need a human family, if they aren't purely human? You stupid bint." I shoved her away, leaving the memory of her shocked face in my mind as I stalked out into the front lobby.

Right before I left, I took a look at the clock above, it read 6:00 am. Great. The sun's up. I gave Lindsey the keys to the car, nodding at the clock. He got it.

Everyone got into the car, then pulled up to the still dark back alley for me to ride in the trunk. Minutes later we piled out of the car, we mutually decided that we would talk in the morning—well, afternoon, and tucked the little ones back into bed, completely undisturbed and unaware of their little trip. Connor and Harrison wished us goodnight, then went to their rooms to sleep.

I grabbed Lindsey's arm before he could leave, "Lindsey, just wanted to say, thanks. I'd probably ended up in a cell with them, cause I don't have the patience to do what you did. You're okay, for a lawyer." He smirked at me, wished me a good night then went to bed himself.

I went into my room, undressed, then stretched out before I crawled under the covers.

_An hour an a half later (7:30 am)_

Uff. "Ahh." I screamed, something was pressing on my chest. It took a minute, but the giggling clued me in. I pulled the covers down from over my head. Cathy and Nicky were sitting on me laughing. "'Morning Uncle Spike." The both told me, while trying to start a tickle fight. They started it, I won. They could barely breathe by the time I was finished with them, laughing in between. After they stopped laughing, Cathy crawled off the bed and ran into the other room. I listened as she ran into the kitchen, pulled on something metal and then slowly walked back up the stairs.

She came back in carrying a tray; filled with blood covered food: the blood spilling off the bowls and into the tray. I helped her lift the tray onto my bed. She looked at me with such hope that I couldn't spoil it by laughing. I kissed her cheek and thanked her, telling her that it looked wonderful. Especially the cereal. It was ingenious to use blood instead of milk. I ate the cereal first, reminding myself not to grimace while swallowing it. I used to put wheat germ in my blood to give it texture, but this was the first time I had eaten Fruit Loops and blood. The next meal was toast covered blood. At least I could swallow that without making a face. And of course, it isn't breakfast until you've had orange juice and blood; mixed together. "Well, that was just a nummy treat." My face hurts now from smiling fake.

There was a knock on the door, and then the door was cracked open. Lindsey poked his head in, I waved him in. The bits smiled gently at him. Cathy and Nicky were still shy and unsure of Lindsey, but they were getting used to him. He wore a dusty pair of jeans and a pale green T-shirt that had definitely seen better days. He smiled back at them. "Good Morning Cathy, Nicky, Spike. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to Anne's to fix her roof. I'll be gone all day, so if you need anything just call me there. One of the kids will give me your message. Well, Bye. I'll see you all tonight. Oh, and Connor and Harrison are up. They're in the kitchen making Pop Tarts." He gave the bits a small wave, then shut the door behind him.

I picked the bits up and carried them to the bathroom again, making them brush their teeth. While they did that, I did my best to pick out some clothes for them. I set the jeans and t-shirts on their beds and let them get dressed. Going down the stairs, I did indeed find Harrison and Connor making pop tarts. Apparently, they thought it best to stuff the entire thing in their mouths then chew, so no conversation could be held until they could breathe. I shook my head at their stupidity.

After they had finished their idea of breakfast, they sat down, eyes down staring at the table waiting for me to start my lecture. I just stared at them, my arms crossed over my chest. Hell, I even put my feet up on the table; the princess wasn't here to stop me, was she? They looked up at me, puzzled at why I wasn't yelling at them.

I pulled out a cigarette from my pocket, put it in my mouth and lit it. I took it in, letting it relax me. "No. I'm not going to lecture you. You're both idiots and you know it. Why bother wasting my breath? You won't do that again, now will you? You'll look before you leap and all that crap?" The nodded. "Alright, then." I stood up and turned to go back upstairs.

Connor's voice halted my motion, "You're not going to yell?"

"No."

Harrison asked, "You going to tell Mr. A?"

"Nope. You are."

They both groaned, Connor whispering, "I knew there was a catch." I heard him, obviously.

"Yeah, there's a catch. There's also a punishment. Guess what it is?" I smirked at them.

Harrison rolled his eyes at me, "What is it?"

"You both are going to that halfway house on Crenshaw. Lindsey's there and I believe that he mentioned that their roof was leaking. Maybe you both can help fix it, yes? As a thank you for him helping bail you out last night? Considering he's your friend and all."

They huffed, but they did as I asked. Harrison grabbed their jackets while Connor changed into more appropriate clothing. They both left, running out the door, after a hurried "Bye."

I looked at my watch for the millionth time. They should be back by 6:00 pm. Only ten and a half hours, five minutes, and forty eight seconds to go. [_We all know that Spike's good at keeping track of time because he knew exactly how long Buffy had been dead. Sensue_] 

_Fours Hours Later.__ Hyperion Hotel.  (11:30)_

I can't believe this. I'm bigger, faster, a vampire! I know all about being undead. That's what I am! All I am! Nicky was laughing at me as Cathy killed me again. Her giggles turned into laughter as I threw the control pad to the floor and started pacing. "Bloody hell. The game is obviously rigged. 'Night of the Living Dead', my as—bottom. They don't look dead. The dead don't have things hanging off of them. Except for Clem, no one I've ever met looks like that. And Clem doesn't act like that. Yeah, right, I don't think the dead can walk through walls. And how do you both know how to play this game? Your mum would never let you play this game." I looked at them, wanting an answer.

"Daddy lets us play it, Uncle Spike." Cathy said, her little hands covering her mouth as giggles escaped. "He plays this game all the time. Daddy yells at Uncle Gunn when he dies too. He says it's not fair. Sometimes they let us play but most of the time we just watch."

Nicky spoke up, "Don't worry, Uncle Spike. I'll let you win." He looked so sincere that I forgot what I was gonna say.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Someone pounded on the door. I stood up off the floor and told the little bits to sit still until I got back. I looked at the clock. Damn it. The sun's still up.

I stood at the back of the door and opened it from behind, making sure that when the light entered; I wasn't in front of it. A delivery guy stood at the other side. I waved him inside, and then shut the door. The light dissipating in the room.

He was a bleached blond young guy. "Hey, man. I'm looking for a William Spike? He here 'cause this is the last delivery of the day, and then I'm off to meet the hottest woman on the planet for a little rendezvous, if you know what I mean." I looked at him. He's the type that gives blonds a bad name.

I rolled my eyes at the guy. "Yeah. That's me. William Spike. What'd you want?"

He practically bounced on his plastic sandals. "I got a package for you." He held it out a clip board, "Oh, and you have to sign this first." He passed his pen over to me, pointing at the blue arrow for me to sign.

I hesitated before I signed it. "What is it?"

The guy just ran his hands across his hair, "Hey, man. I don't have a clue. Just sign it, and then you can find out. I can't keep the lady waiting. She might lose the mood or something."

I signed the slip and took the envelope that he handed to me. He took the board back, then walked to the door. I was still staring at the envelope that I didn't notice that he'd opened the door until I got burned. Immediately, I threw myself out of the light, sliding across the lobby floor. I stifled a scream as he shut the door behind him.

Bloody Hell! The back of my head and neck was burned now. Damn it, that hurt. Cathy and Nicky came out into the lobby to see where I was.

Nicky had a pained look on his face. I'm such a wanker. I forgot that Nicky could feel emotions. He felt my pain. Closing my eyes, I focused on the pain, willing it all away. Willing it away from myself and from Nicky. Nicky hugged me in thanks as the pain disappeared. I rubbed his back until I felt him pull away, a smile now on his face.

Sometimes, I forget that he's a very observant child. He pointed to the envelope, "Uncle Spike, What's that?" I picked up the envelope that I had dropped in the rush to escape bursting into flames.

"Well, Nicky, I don't know. Let's find out, huh?" They both crawled into my lap, excited. I slowly pulled the envelope open and slipped the papers out of it. There was a letter addressed to me. I let Nicky read it.

_"Dear Mr. Spike. _

_First of all we want to thank you for your interest in our company and thank you for your wonderful suggestions. We are writing you because we are very impressed by your recommendations and have decided to put your wonderful poetry into use. Our company is willing to reproduce your work in a very special and unique way. _

_American Greetings will introduce your ideas with a new greeting card section that we would love to call 'Spiked'. Your ideas have a wonderful blend of sarcasm and love that will make anyone smile, even the grumpy. Any loving family will instantly agree, your words enter the heart and fill it will warmth and laughter. This section will include all of your poetry for all occasions, including: Mother's Day, Father's Day, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Births, Thank You, Invitations, and much more. We especially loved the romantic poems, which we will introduce for Valentines Day next year. _

_Enclosed in this envelope is a check for five hundred thousand dollars for the poetry that you sent to us. We hope that this is acceptable to you. We are willing to negotiate with you if you are not happy. If you are willing, we would love to employ you in our company. Please call us at your earliest convenience at 1-800-555-2253. _

_Again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You have touched us in a way that many writers/poets could not. Your work will live on forever in the hearts of Americans._

_Sincerely, _

_Thomas Percy _

_CEO_

_American Greeting Company."_

My hands were slightly shaking now. I felt like I was dreaming. This sort of thing never happens to me. It only happens to Angel. He's the real champion. I'm just a dumb bloak who said the wrong thing at the demon trials. No one but me knows it. Hell, I wished for Buffy to get what she deserved. I never wanted a soul. I just wanted to take back what I'd done. I've been playing everyone, even myself. Fooling myself into thinking that I deserved anything: especially the Shanshu prophecy. And now, for once in my undead life, I had earned something for myself. I didn't steal it from Angel. Someone besides Angel actually liked my poetry.

I looked at the blue printed sheet of paper. Staring at the numbers, they danced before my eyes. Five hundred thousand. $500, 000. Cathy started her nervous giggling. Unfortunately, that set me off too. I couldn't stop laughing. Hell, I had tears running down my face. I jumped up off the floor and threw the bits in the air, swinging them in my arms and jumping up and down. They laughed just as happily, not quite understanding the significance of this letter.

"I'm rich. I'm rich!!!!" I couldn't stop laughing and dancing. Hell, if anyone had seen me they'd of thought that I was wonkers.

As I danced around excitedly, I found myself looking at the hotel. Our home. It could now be our home. Angel and Cordy wouldn't have to worry about paying off the mortgage, it would now be ours. I thought of Buffy. Hell, I could build a Slayer Academy here, in L.A. or something. Millions of ideas flooded my mind. Everyone of them brought a happy ending.

I came from that big high pretty quickly, disappointment setting in. I'm a vampire. Buffy is a slayer. The same reasons that kept us apart can't be solved with money. Hell, money doesn't solve any of my problems. But at least, Buffy won't have to worry about Dawn's schooling. I'll make sure that the school gives her a 'full-scholarship' or something.

Cathy looked at me, the happy smile fading into worry. "Are you okay? Why are you sad? You were happy two seconds ago."

I patted her cheek. "I'm not sad, little bit. I'm just thinking." I brighted, I had just the thing! I looked at both bits, "Who wants to see what the boys are doing?"

The shouts, "ME! ME!" nearly deafened me. "Alright. Alright. Already. Let's go. But first, I have to go to the bank, alright?" The plan is beginning to form.

_Anne's Halfway House on Crenshaw (2:00 pm) _

Thank god for Lorne. That demon knows just about every Demon Bank in the city. What? Like you never heard of a demon bank. It's like a human bank, except it deals in money, kittens, souls, blood, and just about anything else demons are willing to accept as currency. The bank is hidden from the light so both day dwelling demons and night dwellers, such as vampires can go there without prejudice. It's sort of an unwritten rule that no violence is conducted there. Of course, there is the occasional beheading from a loan shark.

It took forever for those damn bankers to give me my money. I was 'bout ready to kill them if I heard one more poetry joke. Finally, they gave me the money. A fourth in cash, a half in a separate account, and the other fourth—well, it'll be easy for Anne use to fix the place up. I can't believe what a ninny I am. I'm giving away hard earned cash to a halfway house, just because I feel guilty. I mean, all those kids need is a job. Not like they're handicapped or something. So they live in boxes…I lived in a crypt for years.

Angel told me once that Anne's had a sewer access so that he could come and visit if there were any problems. This is the first time that I'm using it. The bits couldn't get enough of it; splashing in the sewer water. Hell, I stopped trying to stop them. They're already filthy and going to need another bath.

We crawled up about fifteen minutes later, entering the basement. It was filled with boxes of clothes, toys, pillows, and other stuff. Cathy heard Connor's voice coming from the first floor. Hand in hand with Nicky they ran up the moldy stair case to find him. I followed behind them more slowly, thinking. Where am I going to hide the money so that they could find it? Deep in thought, I didn't even notice when a little boy Nicky's age ran into me and fell right onto his butt.

I knelt down, asking him if he was okay. He nodded, then smiled. "Hi, I'm Ryan. Who are you?" Ryan held out his hand.   
I took it in mine and shook it. Feisty little fella'.

"Hi. Name's Spike. Nice to meet ya'." I was about to ask him where his parents were, when no one other than Anne herself came running over to us.

She looked panicked. "Ryan, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" She picked the child up and hid him in her arms. Anne turned to me, "Your kind isn't welcome here. This is a haven for children. You're not going to feed off of them anymore."

"Uh. Listen. I didn't hurt the bit. He ran into me. Ryan's alright. I'd never hurt a child." Looking at her, I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew her from somewhere. "And how'd you know that I'm a vampire?"

Her head came up sharply, "I know what you are. I know who you are."

Curious. "Really? From where? 'Cause I feel like I know you from somewhere. Are you one of Buffy's friends from school?"

The expression on her face became guarded, "You know Buffy?"

I shook my head at her, "Yeah. I know Buffy. Who doesn't?"

She didn't seem convinced, "Listen. I don't know what you want, but I want you to leave! You're not welcome."

"Well, actually. The door says 'Welcome all who seek shelter.' Technically, I'm seeking shelter from the sun, so I am welcome here. You should take down the sign if you don't mean it."

Anne huffed at me, yelling loudly, "Then I will! Leave!"

Lindsey, Harrison, Connor, and the bits choose that moment to show up. Lindsey took her aside and explained to her that I had a soul and that I was a 'good vampire'. It didn't look like she cared, because she still threw me out.

Why the hell do I bother? I looked at the money I wanted to give her, for a moment, reconsidering giving it to them. I looked into her eyes, searching them. At that moment, I knew. Chantrelle. That's was her name. That pale mousey little vampire wannabe who wanted Dru and me to turn her into a 'lonely one.' It seems someone helped her out of that phase. The twinges of guilt made me question myself. My doubts completely vanished as I looked back at the little boy who hid across Anne's shoulder. He looked so thin. Not at all healthy and vibrant like other children. NO! I had to give it to them. They deserved better than this.

Taking Cathy and Nicky back with me; I taped the envelope to the back of the basement door, writing her name "For Anne" on the front of it. We all walked back to the Hyperion, splashing in the disgusting water the entire time, just to make the bits happy.

_Hyperion Hotel (4:30 pm)_

The bits are temporarily clean for now. I wonder how long it's going to take for them to get dirty again. Their parents should be here in a couple of hours and I want them to look nice.

After the bath, we sat down to color in coloring books for a little while as we waited for the pizza delivery man to come with our dinner. Hey, I've had a busy day. I don't have time to cook. Hell, I don't like cooking, I'm not a pansy like Angel, so there.

We ate the pizza in front of the television. We watched "Beauty and the Beast" for the millionth consecutive time. It's the only movie that Cathy wants to watch anymore. I watched it again, hiding my corner tears when the beast is stabbed by Gaston. Damn that Bastard. Why'd he have to kill the beast? The beast never did anything to hurt anyone. He was just crabby.

Shortly after Belle and the Beast lived happily ever after, the boys came home from their hard day's work and inhaled the rest of the left over pizza. After their meal, Connor and Harrison raced to the showers, hoping that if they looked clean, they'd look innocent when they told Angel about their day in jail.

Cathy and Nicky found a game to play together and started to play it on the end table. Shoots and Ladders. Another game in which I will ultimately lose. Damn Ladders. I choose not to play it.

An hour later, Lindsey walked in, looking at me suspiciously. "Hi Spike. Cathy, Nicky. How's the game going?"

Cathy responded excitedly, talking a mile a minute, describing each move and how she beat Nicky this time. Lindsey nodded encouragingly, as he waited for her to finish her story.

"Hey," I responded, as I take a sip of blood from my warm mug. I don't pay attention to him. Charmed was on. It was a rerun, but who really cares. Alyssa Milano, enough said.

Lindsey sat down next to me, "Something weird happened today after you left."

My eyebrow lifted, "Yeah? Like what?"

He sat forward, "Like someone donating an extremely large amount of money to charity."

I took another sip of blood, "Isn't that what you're supposed to do for a charity?"

"It's not usually that much money."

I sat for a moment trying to come up with something plausible to say. For once, I was happy to be interrupted by the opening of the door. A man, disheveled, and panting walked through.

I patted Lindsey's shoulder, "Looks like a client. Why don't you go see what they want? I don't want to miss this episode. Piper's gonna wear that leather number and dance on the bar." I took another sip of my blood.

Now usually, I'd get up and help with the client, but there isn't really anything that I could do until the sun sets. Might as well let the newbie handle it and get his fins wet.

Lindsey took down a detailed history of the problems the man was having. He told him 'not to worry' and that 'Angel Investigations was on the case' as the man left. He searched for the possible demon suspects, and wrote everything up in a file folder which Cordy would file later in her own way. Connor and Harrison came down, now clean and ready for the next case. The three left me with the bits again as they went to hunt down the demons who were holding the client's puppy hostage.

Puppies. Bloody hell. At least, they weren't kittens.

Cathy and Nicky got tired of Shoots and Ladders. They wanted to play Cowboys and Indians again.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. We're not playing that again. You tied me up last time and wouldn't let me go." I refused to look at them. No, the pouty lip wasn't going to make me change my mind. Nope. I've got a stronger will than that.

"Please, Uncle Spike." Cathy's voice shook. Damn it, I looked. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. Her lip was quivering. "We promise we'll be good."

Then Nicky joined in and I knew I was a goner. "Alright. But you're not going to tie me up."

_Hyperion Hotel.__  Dining Area (6:00pm)_

"Bloody Hell! Let me out of this." I shook the chair again. "This is not funny. You kids better untie me or you'll never eat ice cream again. I'm serious." The only response was their giggling.

I twisted and turned as I struggled to get out of the chains. How do I get myself in these situations?

Cathy came up to me. "Uncle Spike. Let's play Beauty Parlor."

"Cathy. NO. I don't want to play with you. Untie me! Right Now!" I spoke sternly.

Her eyes flashed. Her father got like that. If you told him what to do, it'll piss him off even more. "No. I wanna play Beauty Parlor. I'm a princess."

She climbed up on my lap, pulling her mother's dressy makeup kit up with her. She pulled out a lipstick. "You'll look beautiful in this, Uncle Spike."

I shook my head, moving it around, trying to prevent the horror. It didn't work.

Soon lip gloss, blush, and eye shadow joined the lipstick on my face.

Nicky sat on the chair besides me, looking like a clown, having also been forced to play "Beauty Parlor." The only thing that I'm grateful for right now is the fact that everyone is late. Maybe they won't show up until later. No one will ever know about this.

"HI. HONEY. I'M HOME!!!" Cordy's voice rang out through the whole hotel. The children jumped up to run to the lobby. Damn it. Untie me first.

The sounds of joy reached me in the dining room. I heard hugs and kisses being shared. Laughter as they wiped at Nicky's face. I wanted to be apart of it. But no, I'm tied up like a clown.

The door to the dining room opened. Angel walked through it.

His mouth dropped open. Angel tried to make a sound, but it didn't work. I just glared at him, silently daring him to say something. It seemed like he was having trouble forming words. His mouth kept opening and closing, but no sounds came out. He ran his hands through his hair as he tried to say something for the final time. It didn't work.

Angel walked back out the dining room door in which he came from. The door swinging shut behind him.

Even the shut door couldn't stop me from listening as Angel laughed. I don't think I've ever heard him laugh so hard. The others poked their heads in the dining room to see what the joke was. They left as quickly as Angel had. I heard as they fell over laughing along with Angel.

My head lowered to my chest wanting to be invisible.

Bloody Hell!

The END

Hope that you liked it. Please READ and REVIEW.

Next Chapter: June


	10. June Fred's POV

**Author's Note:** I want you all to read this story, hopefully to the end, before you start cursing me out. I'm not really sure as to EXACTLY how this is going to end yet, so I'm going to let you all decide. I will take any and all suggestions into account when I write the next chapter. (The next chapter is Robin Wood's POV, so please remember that when making suggestions.) I could go either way on this…It's up to you.

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**This Year**

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**Chapter Nine: June (Fred's POV)**

**_Prologue:_**

_I waited too long, my love. I know this now. I should've told Wesley the minute—no, the second that I found out. God, why didn't I?_

_I laugh silently to myself, tears still streaming down my face. Oh, yeah. I wanted a perfect and special moment to tell him the news. I'm so stupid, I cry. I've wasted precious time._

_Time I no longer have._

_Oh, my god!!! My mother's going to kill me! I can image her voice in my head when I tell her_. "Winifred", she'd say, "You haven't even come back from your honeymoon and now you're telling me that you're having a baby. Why, honey, I was just getting used to you being a married woman and now you're with child. I'm going to be a grandmother. I'm too young to be a grandmother. Oh, my lord."

I look at the plastic tab again. It's still got two lines. I'm still pregnant. _I can't be pregnant!_ Well, technically speaking, I can be. _But Wesley and I just got married! We're not even back from our two-week honeymoon yet. I'm still a bride. I'm not ready to be a mother just yet._ I sit on the toilet seat in our lovely honeymoon suite in Hawaii. I put my head in my hands and think back to my wedding.

_Flashbacks_

It was beautiful. No doubts about that. Wesley and Gunn really went all out for our double wedding. Two brides and two grooms exchanged vows in an evening outdoor ceremony by the shore. Andrea, Gunn's fiancé, and I hired a wedding coordinator to help us with our plans. She didn't. It was almost a complete disaster. The woman refused to listen to us. She wanted to have an afternoon wedding by the beach. We tried to tell her that it was out of the question, but she kept pressuring us. Oh, yeah, why don't we tell Angel and Spike that they can't come to the wedding? That'll go over really well when we all get back to work.

She picked flowers Wesley was allergic to and hired a band that Gunn couldn't stand. The boys were willing to put up with all of that to make us happy though. But the final straw was choosing the bridesmaids dresses for all of us. Cordy was really nice about planning our wedding with a consultant instead of listening to her suggestions, but absolutely freaked out when she found out she'd have to wear yellow velvet to the wedding. I can't believe that there even is such a material. It was hideous. After that, we just fired her, and let Cordy help us, like she'd been begging.

Well, Cordy was amazing! In two weeks time, she hammered out more details than the consultant ever could. And more so, she planned it with what WE told her that WE WANTED.

The wedding ceremony was, she confessed, her and Angel's favorite romantic spot on the planet: the bluffs by the ocean. She actually hired her ex-boyfriend, Xander to create a handmade altar for us. He is such a great carpenter. I had no idea; he seemed like such a ditz. The altar stood on the edge of the bluffs so you could hear the sounds of the crashing waves against the stones as the vows were exchanged. It wasn't the beach area, so it remained a private ceremony. Only friends and family were invited. Thinking back, many things escape me, detail-wise. I can only remember looking at Wesley right before we kissed. Gunn and Andrea took their vows after us, letting us step back and become their best man/maid of honor as they were to us.

We danced on the sand, taking our shoes off and twirling around the shore. Dipping our feet in the water when we got too hot. We barely noticed anyone around us, except when Wesley accidentally knocked down Lindsey and Anne after he backed up into them trying to dip me. They didn't mind, smiling happily at each other before going back to their slow dance. We went back home to the Hyperion that night, getting another surprise; a wedding present from Angel and Cordy. Angel had re-decorated one of the large suites of the hotel as a honeymoon suite; rose petals lined the room, while soft candlelight bathed the room with a romantic glow. We looked around, finding a separate bathroom, complete with a Jacuzzi hot tub, shower, and two sinks. We walked back into the bedroom, gasping at the bed. It was covered in royal blue silk. It was my favorite color.

Wesley picked up the envelope that rested against the light blue throw pillows. He read it out loud. Apparently, this was our new bedroom. The letter went on to tell us both that the two adjacent rooms were to become ours as well to do with as we pleased. The handwriting changed into a more bubbly and curvy writing; mentioning that it was big enough for an entire family. [Hint, Hint]

I looked at Wesley, smiling so happily that one could say I was all-smiles. The phone rang suddenly, making me jump. It was Gunn. His voice chattered excitedly as he told us about their new bedroom suite. Boy, Angel and Cordy were busy little beavers. The call was soon forgotten as Wesley pulled the phone cord from the wall and we consummated our marriage for the first time.

The next morning we drove to the airport, making our way to Hawaii for our two-week honeymoon. Gunn and Andrea had decided to go the Disney World instead for some fun.

We had a wonderful time in Hawaii. Walking along the shores, swimming, doing hula dances, scuba diving, and making love made the two weeks fly by so quickly. On the last day of our trip, I ended up with a migraine so sever that I thought I was suffering from heat stroke or something. It was so strange. I'd never had one before. I don't know why but the words of my mother always said when she described her pregnancy with me. "Heavens, I never had any headaches or pains until I was pregnant with you, Fred. The migraines were so bad that I'd sleep for two days straight. I couldn't even think until after I'd given birth to you. And my god, no wonder why they call it labor. It took 38 hours for you to come out. I thought I'd die before then. But, the moment the doctors put you in my arms, I knew that it was worth it, Fred. I loved you the second I held you."

I launched myself out of bed and ran down to the hotel mini-store for a pregnancy test. I don't think that I had one other thought other than "I could be pregnant." I practically ran down an old woman trying to walk around in her walker. I must've searched the entire store for the test. There was only one test on the shelf. It was a generic brand created by the store. Throwing it in the plastic basket that I picked up near the door, I stopped myself from buying a pain killer for my headache. If I was pregnant, I thought, it wouldn't be good for the baby.

Waiting in the cashier's line, I vibrated in place, anxiously wishing the cashier to go faster. Tapping my fingers on the nearby magazine rack, I earned several glares by neighboring customers. It took forever!!! Finally, I had paid for the test and ran back to my room to run it.

IT WAS POSITIVE… I checked it five times and reread the box. Yes, I am pregnant. My thoughts were very scattered, thinking about everything and anything. From my wedding, to my mother, to that slow cashier that drove me insane.

_End Flashback_

The door opened revealing Wesley. _Oh, God. How do I tell Wesley_? We haven't had a chance to even discuss children. We just got married. _What if he doesn't want to have a baby now? What if he just wanted to be married for a little while, like I had planned. And most of all, how do I tell him?_

The slam of the door made me jump. Wesley started pacing the room, growling under his breath about the stupidity of the airline. He kept talking to himself; not noticing my worried posture. I was able to understand the majority of it; The airline lost our return tickets back home to L.A. Abruptly, he stopped his pacing and picked up the phone to make a call. The resulting call did nothing to calm him as he shouted at the person on the other end to fix the problem.

I sat back on the bed, still feeling queasy. Resting my cheek against my closed fist, the idea of telling Wesley at that moment was postponed. It wasn't the right time. He was under enough stress.

I had to wait for the perfect moment.

We finally got back to L.A. without killing any of the airline employees. A computer glitch caused us a three day delay return back. So by the time we got home, Angel Investigations practically rolled out the red carpet back to our desks. Gunn and Andrea had remarkably returned from their honeymoon on time and had already worked on five cases. Cordy hugged us and congratulated us again before handing us both a pile of paperwork to do.

I couldn't believe how busy we were. People were practically lining up to talk to one of our investigators. Angel had even sent Connor and Harrison alone on a couple of cases. Wesley kissing me on the cheek, whispered in my ear, "Guess the honeymoon is over," then walked into his office to start working on his cases.

I took a deep breath before I sat at my desk to start the paperwork; then promptly stood back up to run to the bathroom to throw-up. Since everyone was so busy, no one noticed me. Leaning against the cold tile of the bathroom, I felt so tired. Touching my stomach, I smiled at the thought of the baby. I wanted nothing more than to run out of the room and announce the news to everyone.

I walked out of the bathroom and was almost plowed down by my husband practically running out the door. I caught him before he left. "Wes, where are you going? We just got here."

Wesley put a loving hand on my shoulder, "Fred, I have to go meet with a client. It's sort of an emergency. Needless-to-say, but their lives are in danger as we speak. Sorry, Fred. I have to go." With that, he kissed me and then ran out the door.

"Be careful," I shouted at him. Watching him as he grabbed his jacket and ran out, I had a certain feeling of foreboding. It was slight, but it still made me shiver. Ignoring it seemed like the best option.

Turning around to watch the others, I watched as Angel paced the floor while on the phone with a client. Cordy was sitting at her desk, also on the phone, as she wrote down what the client was saying. Gunn was interviewing someone in Wesley's office, while Andrea filled up the coffee pot to make a fresh batch. The others were out.

I felt out of place, from being gone for two weeks. I wanted to help, but I didn't know what was going on. So, I just waited until Angel was done on the phone to get my assignment.

The mission he assigned definitely wasn't what I was expecting! Especially since I knew we were so busy. But with Robin having to work days and unable to get time off from work as a high school principal, I was the only one free to go with Faith.

I drove her to her OB/GYN office for her monthly checkups. Funny how Faith was almost seven months along now; she really didn't let her pregnancy slow her down at all. And it was only recently she'd started to show, her belly filling with the swell of the baby.

She surprised me by asking me to come in with her. I immediately agreed, wanting to support her since her husband couldn't come. We both waited until the doctor came in then watched in wonder at the life in front of us. I held Faith's hand as we both watched her baby on the screen. The ultrasound was amazing. I mean, I had seen Darla's ultrasound with Connor, but it was different now. I wasn't pregnant then. I closed my eyes for a moment, pretending that Faith's baby was my own because it would be me there lying on the bed, watching my baby and listening to his/her heartbeat, in seven months.

The doctor's question forced our gazes away from the screen. "Do you want to know if it's a boy or a girl, Faith?"

She looked at me before answering, "Hell, yeah. I'm dying to know."

The doctor smiled, "Well, congratulations, Faith. It's a girl." I started giggling and clapping at the announcement. A girl. I hugged her tightly, excitement causing us both to practically jump up and down on the table. The doctor printed out a picture of the baby for Faith to have, telling Faith to make an appointment for next month, before leaving to let Faith get dressed.

We both walked out of the office on a cloud, chatting about how wonderful it would be to have another little girl in the house. A little girl like Kathy.

As we walked into the Hyperion, I mentioned, "Oh, Faith. It's going to be so much fun. Image a little girl, like you, running around the house and calling you, Mommy." She gave me a quick smile, then ran up the stairs to 'freshen up'.

I had told her to image it, but I was the one doing the imaging. I wanted to do nothing but tell Wesley about the baby. I was in a weird daydream, a smile on my face, picturing a little girl with Wesley's eyes and my cheeks jump around the house in pigtails. A little voice calling out 'Mommy' gleefully as Wesley spun her around in the air. Learning how to walk, saying her first word. Her running through the house, playing with Faith's daughter. As a teenager, getting ready for her first date. Walking across the stage… getting her diploma. Falling in love, getting married. I saw my entire life with her, even if I didn't know if it would be little girl. The smile widened, it could be a little boy…a boy like Wesley.

Cloud Nine was an understatement. I saw Wesley across the room. I waved at him, smiling even more. He looked at me with such intensity that my fantasy was forgotten as I walked over to him more quickly. Wesley shouted, "Fred, NO! Run!" But his warning came too late.

"Oh, GOD!!! Help!" I screamed as I ran. Masked men in black ran after me, their guns pulled out to shoot. I had almost reached the door, when it was flung open to reveal Lilah Morgan and more Wolfram and Hart goons. My escape was blocked. Her men had also pulled out their weapons.

They forced me back into the office where the others were. Wesley pushed his way through the men to me. I looked around the room. Angel was on the ground in the corner of the office, his head bleeding. "Oh, god. You shot Angel in the head." I put my hand against my mouth to stifle my screams. Cordy was on the ground, unconscious, near him with three men pointing their guns at her head; threatening to kill her if any of us moved. Spike sat on the desk chair coiled like a snake, looking ready to strike at anyone, but not being able to. Gunn and Andrea sat on the floor their arms around each other in front of the desk. The corner of Gunn's mouth was bleeding and Andrea's cheek had a red mark that would form into a bruise. Wesley and I seemed to be the only ones unharmed. I thought of the others: _Thank god the children weren't here. Thank God Faith ran upstairs_. They didn't know she was here; they didn't see her.

Wesley had his hands against my shoulders, pulling me back to hide behind him. I let him protect me. He had his hands up, trying to negotiate with Lilah.

"Lilah. What are you doing? You can't do this." He yelled.

"Really, who's going to stop me? You?" She remarked sarcastically.

The front door opened, Lindsey's voice rang through the hotel, "Lilah! What the hell are you doing?" He ran over to us, ignoring the men who turned their weapons at him.

She pulled away from Wesley, turning towards Lindsey. "I'm sorry. Who are you again? Oh, yeah. I remember. You're nobody. Wolfram and Hart made sure of that. And now where are you? With the enemy."

He snarled, "You're the enemy, Lilah. I know that now."

She put her mouth against his ear saying something that none of us could hear. He stiffened when she came closer to touch him. Lilah kissed him, then walked out of the room, leaving us alone with the goons.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Angel wake. The men who had their guns on Cordy had relaxed, enabling Angel to launch up and take their guns. Spike, on the same wavelength as Angel, immediately attacked the men closest to him. Everyone else reacted. In the midst of the fighting, I was able to punch out two men. Faith ran downstairs with a crossbow and joined the battle.

Gunshots rang out as the men tried to shoot us. Wesley ran to Cordy, still unconscious, and pulled her behind the desk trying to protect her from the flying bullets and carnage. I started grabbing the lamps, books, anything I could get my hands on to throw at them.

It seemed like forever, but the fighting was over. A few men lay on the ground, bleeding and broken. The others ran--full of fear.

Angel went over to Cordy, trying to wake her. While Gunn helped Andrea off of the floor.

Wesley came over to me, practically in my face. His mouth was moving but I couldn't understand him. He started pointing and screaming. I looked down to see what he was pointing at. Oh…there's blood on my pants. I look further down; to the ground as the puddle of red kept getting bigger. Strange, I think, I'm getting sleepy.

The shouting gets fainter as the lights go out.

It's dark now.

I wake up slowly; the lights hurt my eyes. There are people in white coats around me. Doctors. They're doctors. I'm sleepy. I don't want to wake up. I just want to think about my Wesley.

Wesley!

My eyes fling open. "Where's Wesley? Where's my husband?" I cry. Another thought comes to me. "MY BABY!!! Is my baby okay?" They don't answer me.

"Oh, god. My baby's dead." I can't breathe now. Lights are flying before my eyes. The nurse is shaking me.

I turn my attention to the doctor talking to me. "Listen to me, Mrs. Pryce. You were shot. It's very serious. You've had a lot of blood loss. We are aware of your pregnancy. We did blood tests before doing a blood transfusion. The baby is okay…but, there's no easy way to say this; you are going to lose the baby soon. We're going to have to abort. The bullet nicked the artery that supplies the uterus. The only way to stop the bleeding is to remove your uterus. You won't be able to have children. I'm sorry."

Tears blind me. "No, please. Don't. My baby." I grab the doctor, begging him to help me.

"Mrs. Pryce," his voice is harsh, "there's nothing we can do. You can't have the baby." I look around, desperate for someone to tell me otherwise.

I catch the eye of the nurse who shook me, her eyes widened. She turned to the doctor, "Dr. Janison, what about a surrogate? Could we transfer the embryo to another womb?"

The doctor stopped, seeming to think about it, "It could work; it's a long shot, but it could work. The only problem is how are we going to find a woman willing to surrogate now. It has to be now. We can't wait any longer. She could bleed to death at any moment."

My hands are shaking, but I grab the doctor by the arm. "Please, get my friends. My husband. Please." The doctor tells the nurse to 'bring them in.'

Wesley comes in first, his face shell-shocked. His face was white. He looked as if he would fall over if the wind blew. Cordy, Angel, Gunn, Faith, and Andrea come in after him.

My husband came over close to me, his hands on mine now. "You're pregnant? Why didn't you tell me, Fred?" His voice broke as tears slid down his face.

"I'm Sorry, Wesley. I waited too long, my love. I know this now." I should've told Wesley the minute—no, the second that I found out. God, why didn't I?

I laugh silently to myself, tears still streaming down my face. Oh, yeah. I wanted a perfect and special moment to tell him the news. I'm so stupid, I cry. I've wasted precious time.

Time I no longer have. "Wesley, the baby is going to die. They're going to abort it. I can't let them. It's our baby."

He kissed my hands, "Fred," he spoke softly, "you can't have the baby. You'll die, if you don't let them take it."

"But we won't be able to have children. EVER!" I cry even harder at this.

He wrapped his arms around me, the doctors warning him to hurry, "At least, I won't lose you, Fred. I can't bear it if I lost you."

The doctor jumped in, begging Wesley to sign the documents so they could rush me to surgery. The nurse looks at him desperately, trying to help me. "Dr. Janison? The surrogate? We have to try."

The others look up in hope. Angel speaks up, "What are you talking about? What surrogate?"

The nurse now explains it to my family, as I drift off gently. I jerk as I feel someone touch my face. Cordy leaned into me, kissing my temple. "Don't worry, Fred. I'll take care of your baby for you. Okay? I'll take real good care of him or her, okay? You don't have to worry. Just get better."

I smile at my best friend. "Thank you." I whispered this. I should've known that Cordy'd volunteer to surrogate. She'd do anything for us. She's a true friend. I know she'd never let my baby die.

Tears wet my face, tears not my own as Wesley kissed my lips and told me he loved me. "I love you too, my Wesley."

With that, I closed my eyes. "Tired now. I love you all. Good night."

I felt like I did earlier, floating on a cloud. No pain, no hurt, no tears, just me and my family running around the house, laughing.

THE END

**What do you all think? These are my thoughts. The next chapter is up to you. BUT you must review to let me know what you want.**

Should I let Fred die?

Or let her live?

Should I find a way to bring Illyria to life? (If this is what you want, you're going to have to help me think of how to do this.)

Obviously, Wesley is no longer going to be silly/dorky Wesley…but Sexy/Dark Wesley. This has been a life changing moment for him.

He will not care about anything and will self-destruct like Wesley in Season Four/Five. (Drinking, etc)

Should I bring in Wesley's Dad? His mother? OR should Fred's parents come to visit?

Cordy is going to have Fred's baby. ('cause Faith is already pregnant and Andrea is a minor character.)

Faith is going to have problems with her pregnancy as well…but it's not what you think. (I'm not killing Faith or her baby.)

I also need a name for Faith's baby girl.

Please remember July is Robin's POV. He wasn't at this "massacre". He comes in afterwards. The children were not there as well…Neither was Lorne.

Should I write in any guest appearances? Buffy, Xander, Willow, Tru, Lindsay, Giles, Davis, etc (Btvs or Tru Calling characters.)

This is a new MONTH, so what ever you choose…this will be the family trying to work through it. But Robin and Faith are going to have problems of their own.

**_"My Last Breath" By: Evanescence_**_  
  
hold on to me love  
you know I can't stay long  
all I wanted to say was i love you and i'm not afraid  
can you hear me?  
Can you feel me in your arms?  
  
holding my last breath  
safe inside myself  
are all my thoughts of you  
sweet ruptured light it ends here tonight  
  
I'll miss the winter  
a world of fragile things  
look for me in the white forest  
hiding in a hollow tree (come find me)  
I know you hear me  
I can taste it in your tears  
  
holding my last breath  
safe inside myself  
are all my thoughts of you  
sweet ruptured light it ends here tonight  
  
closing your eyes to disappear  
you pray your dreams will leave you here  
but still you wake and know the truth  
no one's there  
  
say goodnight  
don't be afraid  
calling me calling me as you fade to black_


	11. July Robin's POV

**Author's Note**: Thank you so much to all the people who have emailed me or reviewed my stories over the years. You don't know how much it helps me to know that there are actually people out there reading my stories and that people like what I'm writing. _There are days when it feels like a waste of time. That no one is reading them…so why do I bother writing._ _Then I read your heartfelt emails and it doesn't seem like such a waste…it seems like lots of fun and entertainment._ So I'm taking the time thank you by name: Thank you: Imzadi, Rogue-Slayer, Seraph's Rhapsody, Lisa, Maliek, Jess, Athlantis, Simurg, The 2nd Evil, Si.Crazy, Catwomen, and Lilaeth. But most of all Thank You to Lily, the one who got me to start writing this chapter. (I really hope that I didn't miss anyone.)

**This Year**

**Chapter 10: July**

**Robin Wood's POV**

There is a certain misconception that everyone seems to believe about high school principals. Everyone, including the teachers and staff, seem to think that the principal just goes on vacation during the summer and comes back just in time for the first day of school. They would be wrong.

I don't think anyone realizes the amount of work that goes into making a school one of the best in the city. It takes time to hire teachers, acquire funding, update old technologies, and create a workable budget. Never mind following never-ending state conditions and regulations. However, in less than a year, I've taken a mediocre high school and wielded it into an educational heaven. Trust me when I tell you, everyone has noticed it; Even the students. My suggestion box is filled with complaints from parents. What ever happened to the days when the child was responsible for their grades, not the teachers? I don't let any of them back out of their responsibilities. And god help the students who think that they (or their parents) can force me to change my mind. I always remind them of my Halloween Party when they nag. I scared five students straight that year (with the help of my vampire friends, of course.)

I love my job.

Both of them.

By day, a very disciplined and serious high school principal, and by night, a private investigator/demon hunter. In Sunnydale, it was different. I was principal of Sunnydale High School…so the principal part was the same. But no one knew about my demon fighting, not until I ran into the Slayer; specifically Buffy. I didn't really get a chance to work with the Scooby Gang as they called themselves, until the apocalypse was already in Sunnydale's mouth--The Hellmouth.

There are days when I wish I'd never gone there. Then I would've never found out about my mother's murderer: Spike. The only vampire in recent history to kill not one, but two slayers: one of them my mother. If you'd have asked me ten years ago, if I'd ever work with the man who killed my mother, I'd have laughed in their face.

Now I work with the man daily. In Sunnydale, I would've sold my soul for revenge against Spike. In L.A., he seems like a completely different person. I suppose that he is: he has a soul now. Never would've thought that he would be the kind of man to risk his life for someone, but he surprised me. He actually died to save the world. And when he came back, he came back with a purpose. We all believed that Spike had come back for redemption for his past evil deeds. That he had come back to protect the "miracle child", Angel's son.

At first, I thought that Angel and the rest were insane to even allow Spike near Connor. He was just a baby, didn't they know that he was a vicious killer. Cordy was the first to trust him. She saw right through the "rebel" exterior and saw his true self, proven when she decided that she would only call him by his given name: William. Soon after, Angel followed her suit by letting Spike move in with them.

I fought his decision, trying everything to get them all to turn against Spike…to let me stake him. It was a hard battle that I soon lost. It was clear to me that Spike was Angel's family. His only 'blood', with the exception of Baby Connor.

Still, my blood boiled with rage. I wanted him dead with every fiber of my being. Nothing, my (then) girlfriend, Faith could say would deter me. It's funny how the one thing that you hate most in this world could be the one thing that saves your life.

Both Charles Gunn and I believed that Spike should've been staked at first site. Gunn believing that to be the case for his hatred of vampires. We both used to gang up on Spike when the others weren't around. We did our best to make him miserable and trying to force his hand into leaving L.A. The both of us went so far to throw him out of a hotel window in hopes that he would fall on a piece of wood and die.

One night, Gunn and I went to Gunn's old 'hood. Gunn always checked on his former gang members to make sure that they didn't need anything and that everything was still working well. He'd gotten in good with the remaining members of the gang. I'd heard them were forced to leave for the murder of peaceful demons. Most people can't even see the danger in front of them. This group of teenagers got together, formed a gang rivaling most military groups, and defended their lives by killing vampires on a daily basis. It was amazing. In my case, I have always known about the dangers that surrounded us on earth. My mother was a Slayer. She fought the forces of darkness everyday of her life and made sure that I could protect myself as well. Even after she had died, her watcher took me in and trained me to fight: to protect myself and others from evil. I had read almost every Watcher's Diary, English translated demon text, the current rendition of prophecy texts, and the Slayer Handbook. Those children knew nothing…only myth and legend. I wished that I had been here to help them; even-so, it seems that Gunn had done a wonderful job of training them.

Gunn and I were driving towards Anne's that night. On the way there, we'd both her screams coming from the alleyway behind us. Gunn turned his truck around, practically flying, to come to their aid. We had assumed that it was vampires, pulling out wooden stakes. We assumed wrong.

The Morgul demons are one of the most dangerous demons in the world. They are fast! The fastest demons that I've known. Before you can get a chance to attack them, they are already on top of you, choking you to death. Truly, if it wasn't for Spike following us, we'd both be dead. From out of nowhere, Spike jumped off the building and started attacking the two Morguls. It was a long, hard fight for Spike. We had both thought that they were going to kill him; many times they had come extremely close to doing so. At the end of the battle, the demons no longer had heads. Spike was in a bad way. He had collapsed on the ground, blood was just pouring out of him. He couldn't move anymore; the Morgols had thrown him against the bricks at least five times. It took everything in me not to stake him. He just lay there with his eyes opened, looking at me. Not a sound was made until Gunn grunted, then bent over to help Spike up.

Between the both of us, we had dragged Spike to the car and to Cordelia's "nursing station", the round sofa in the lobby of the hotel. That was when I began to feel something other than hatred for the vampire who ruined my childhood. I began to respect him and started to realize that maybe, just maybe, he had changed.

But in all seriousness, I didn't have that much time to plan Spike's murder. I was so busy with the cases Angel that the only extra time I had…I spent trying to get Faith to marry me. That woman was so stubborn. Even after we had gotten pregnant, she still refused me. Of course, after Nicky was born, all hatred of Spike just melted away. I was too in love (with both my wife and my son) to bother with hate anymore.

I never realized what a joy being a father could be. I mean, I never knew my biological father and my mother never got the chance to discuss it with me. Her watcher was the closest thing that I had to family growing up. Now I have my own family.

Nicky was a joy from the moment that he was born. It was scary because we had come so close to losing him. Thank god for Cordy. If it wasn't for her…I don't even want to think about what could've happened. He's so smart and funny. He looks like his mother, but his personality is unique. Nicky has such an old soul. He sees into people, literally due to his empathic gift. That makes him the most understanding child that I have ever met. The only problem is his shyness. He hates to meet new people and often hides behind his mother or Aunt Cordy. We all take into account the fact that he had watched his cousin Connor get kidnapped as a reason for his fear of abandonment.

Now eight years later, we are having another baby. I try to stop myself from getting too excited less my eight-month pregnant wife hits me for being insensitive to her pain. We're having a little girl, this time. I excited about it. A little girl! Daddy's girl, I suppose; especially since the moment that Faith found out that it was a girl, she retreated into herself.

Faith stopped talking about the baby. She stopped making plans and decorating the new nursery. We had decided previously that we would just use Nicky or Cathy's old baby things for the new baby and then buy anything that the new baby would need. All of those plans never fell through. She made me stop moving furniture and would yell at me if I told her that we needed to get things ready.

What scared me the most was her leaving the hotel in the middle of the night to go for "a walk." I knew that she was patrolling the area. I caught her at least twice. One time, I actually had to force her into my car to drive back to the hotel where it was safe. After what had happened to poor Fred, Faith still won't listen to me. She keeps heading into danger; into danger with our baby.

I keep trying to figure out what happened that day. It rolls around in my head as if it was a movie reel that keeps jumping off the track. I don't understand. The only thing that I feel is the need to go back in time to be there for my wife.

Work, it's always work with me. I try my best to be there for my family, but work always gets in the way. The day, that catastrophic day, was the day that Faith and I were supposed to go to the OB/GYN for a monthly checkup. The school called me in for an emergency board meeting. So what did I do, I went to the meeting. I was expecting the board to actually discuss something important at this "emergency" meeting. There was a new health journal that came out with an article on the safety of peanuts in school cafeteria lunches. It seemed that in one of our elementary schools, a child had eaten a peanut butter sandwich, after being told by his mother, school nurse, and teachers that he wasn't allowed to have it, and ended up in the hospital for treatment of anaphylactic shock. The board was "outraged" at the school for not removing ALL TRACES of peanut butter from the entire student body.

I was sitting at that meeting, keeping my temper at check from trying to scream at their stupidity when my cell phone rang. The news reached my feet before it reached my mind. Quickly, I ran to the door and to my car in order to get to the hospital. Faith was crying. My Faith, was crying at the other end of the phone. She said that Cordy had been knocked unconscious and both Angel and Fred had been shot. Angel, I wasn't really worried about, after all, Vampire. But Fred and Cordy…my heart leapt out of my chest. The nurses couldn't stop me from running down the halls to find my wife. I found her in the arms of Wesley as the man cried, his shoulders shaking. Cordy, apparently now awake, rubbed his back, while the other men sat in the waiting room with their heads in their hands.

I asked how Fred was doing, almost afraid to hear the answer. Angel took me aside and explained it to me. How Wolfram and Hart send armed men to the hotel to shoot them. How Fred had gotten shot in the crossfire and the doctors had found out that she was about two-three weeks pregnant. Angel's voice shook as he said that there was no way to save the baby. Looking at my wife, I just wanted to hold her and forget about the violence, the grief.

Before I could think of an appropriate response, the nurse came running out to us. It seemed that Fred had woken up and was asking to see her husband and friends. The nurse took one look at Faith and denied her entry into the room. Faith was too exhausted to fight the nurse, so I waited with her in the waiting room as the others went in to see her.

Minutes later, they were escorted out of the trauma room and Cordy was whisked away by the medical staff. It seemed that they were going to try to save Fred's baby by a surrogate, in this case, it had to be Cordy. Andrea, Gunn's wife, cried against his shoulder, cursing female biology.

All of us waited anxiously for the doctors to tell us how the procedure went. Wesley, that man, completely fell apart. One minute, his was crying, another cursing, another planning revenge, all the while staring at the clock and praying for a miracle. I felt for him. I knew what it was like…to almost lose a child before they were born.

Hours later, the doctors came by; all had smiles on their faces and told us that both procedures were a complete success. The embryo had be implanted in Cordelia's womb, bed rest ordered for the next two days, while Fred was in the recovery room, expected to make a 100 recovery, if you didn't count the fact that she could no longer have children.

I expected Fred to be devastated, but her cherry outlook on life helped her through one of the most difficult and trying experiences of her life. She ran around smiling, helping Cordy, excited and very anxious about the baby. The only problem was that Fred never left Cordy's side, fearful of something happening to the baby or that Cordy would need help.

Wesley on the other hand, he avoided Cordy like the plague. He didn't want anything to do with the baby. He sat in his office and read his journals and texts like there was no tomorrow. I also caught him drinking on the job a couple of times. The only person who could get through to him was Fred, but she was too obsessed with keeping the baby safe to notice.

Angel tried to talk to Wesley, but had ended up getting so frustrated, that he threw him against the wall. This, in turn, caused Cordy to run in to stop her husband, which caused Fred to freak out about Cordy running through the halls. Didn't Cordy know that she could slip and fall?

Due to the craziness of the hotel, Connor and Harrison were told to take care of the children. Both Nicky and Cathy couldn't have been any happier. They loved their "older brothers." They were taken to the zoo, the park, the arcade, the swimming pool, the beach, and anything else they could think of to keep them occupied during their summer vacation. Lorne, in some instances, even let them "sleep over" at the club. Cathy, like her mother, loves to be in the spotlight and would jump on stage to sing. Nicky was a little more quiet but also loved karaoke, but only if he could sing along with Cathy.

At first, I didn't notice, I was too busy trying to help settle the chaos that surrounded us. Faith was very quiet. I would catch her in the garden staring at the jasmine flowers. Her eyes were haunted. When I would ask her what was wrong, I would get snapped at. Then slowly, she stopped getting ready for our little girl.

I thought that she was just getting nervous about going into labor again, but it didn't seem the case. Slayer strength does have advantages. I recalled the history of slayers that even in the early years, only two of all the slayers who decided to have children, died of childbirth. I suppose, it wasn't a very good statistic, especially since many of the slayers died before they even reached their childbearing years.

Slamming my fists on the desk in front of me, I can't believe that Faith had been sneaking off while I was at work to slay vampires. We had both decided that when she hit the fifth month of pregnancy that she would stop all dangerous activity, which included slaying vampires. My god, all it would take to lose them both is a swift kick at her belly. Deciding to take my life in my own hands, I went to Spike. He was the only one not caught up in the drama unfolding before us.

He had known many slayers, and erringly, he knew them better than I did. Spike has this insight into how the slayer mind works. I found this out in Sunnydale. After I had tried to kill him in a cross-filled room.

My mother's (_Nikki Wood—"Lies My Parents Told Me"_) voice fills in my head, "…Remember, Robin, honey what we talked about. Always got to work the mission. Look at me. You know I love you, but I got a job to do. The mission is what matters...right?"

He repeated those same words to me that night. He let me live knowing that he knew more about her than I did. I hated him for that as well, but now, I am grateful for his insight.

Knocking on Spike's door, I waited until he hollered, "Come in" before walking into his room. He looked extremely surprised to see me and a little on guard. I looked around his bedroom, funny I'd never been in Spike's room before. Spartan. That was what had come to mind when I saw his room. Except for the bed, nightstand, and small entertainment center to hold his TV/DVD player and discs, his room was bare. The color was the same beige color that the hotel had been painted with previously. On the nightstand, there was a picture of the entire family during Christmas. The only other pictures on the wall were coloring book pictures made by Cathy and Nicky.

Spike was currently lying on his bed, watching TV, so I adjusted myself to turn toward the TV; I noticed he was watching Charlie's Angels. Shaking my head at his immaturity, I took a breath then started to ask my question.

"Spike, I need a favor from you." There I said it.

He lifted his head to stare at me, "You need my help with something?" Scratching at his chin, "Well, what is it then? I don't got all day."

Closing my eyes, I thought about how I wanted to say this. "Faith, she's upset about something. She's so upset that she's self-destructing again. I'm afraid for her. She's going to hurt herself or the baby if she keeps going like this. I caught her patrolling." Once I got started, the words flowed out of me like a river, "She's eight months pregnant, she can't patrol. I know her; she's doing this to 'feel' something other than numb. This is what she is right now: Numb. She doesn't even want to talk about the baby. Ever since Fred got hurt, Faith doesn't seem to care about her daughter, our daughter."

Spike stood up, stretching himself. He looked thoughtful. "You said that this started the day Fred got hurt? Wasn't that the day that she got the ultrasound?"

"Yeah…" I slowly nod, hoping that Spike wasn't suggesting what I thought he was.

"Did she tell you about it?" He asked me, sounding oddly concerned.

"Yeah. She told me that we were having a baby girl and that the baby was completely healthy. I really don't think that she would've lied to me." At least, I hope so.

He bent down to open the nightstand, pulling out a pack of cigarettes, he pulled one out to light it. Before speaking, he took a long drag, "Don't tell the princess." He exhaled, I suppose, if you could call it exhaling. "Let's think about this logically now. Faith was all excited before the accident. Sure, she had mood swings from hell, but she was happy about the bit. Then Fred had her accident right after she found out what the baby's sex was. She seems okay about Fred now. Hell, I haven't really noticed her hanging out with Fred recently. But she also doesn't avoid her. So that tells me, she doesn't have a problem with Fred's accident; she has a problem with the baby. Specifically, the baby's sex. Bloody hell. I got it! It's a girl this time. Nicky is a boy. Faith didn't worry about Nicky because he's a boy. She's worried about the new bit though because it's a girl."

I sat down on Spike's bed, well, fell down is more accurate. I shook my head again. "I don't understand. What does the baby's sex have to do with anything? As long as he or she is healthy, what it is doesn't matter."

Spike started pacing in front of me, running his hands through his hair as he smoked, "You're a bloody idiot. Of course, it matters. It matters to Faith. Hell, it'd probably matter to Buffy and the rest of the Watcher's Council. After Willow's spell, any girl with the potential to become a slayer WILL BE A SLAYER. Your little girl is going to be a slayer like her mommy. Faith probably doesn't want that for her little girl. Buffy used to talk about it…like she could change her destiny. Kept saying, 'I wish I was a normal girl.' But it'd never happen. You can't change yourself like that. In Faith's case, she's probably scared that she'd end up like she did. Watcherless, hunted, and scorned as a slayer."

This time, I leaned back so that my back was against the bed and I was staring at the ceiling. I took several deep breaths trying to keep myself in control. Feeling the bed dip, I opened my eyes and turned my head to look up at Spike. He spoke softly, as if he knew how I felt and didn't want to disturb me further, "You should talk to her…you know before she hurts herself. That's sort of Faith's cycle. She'll start doing small things that make her feel in control, like staking vampires. Then she'll want more, she'll start to feel like god, until killing is all she does. Nothing else will matter, only having fun killing. It's not even about the vampire anymore…it's about the kill. The control and power. And I should know because I'm like her. I—Spike—killed more people than vampires she's staked."

After he said that, he left the room so that I could think. I must've stared at the ceiling for hours because Nicky had come back from the zoo. He ran into the room and jumped on my chest. "Hi, Daddy."

Smiling despite my dizzying thoughts, "Hi Nicky. How's the zoo?"

Now he started bouncing on my chest as he described every animal and every noise they made. He was bristling with excitement and happiness. Cordy's voice rang throughout the hotel, "DINNER TIME!!!" Hearing the announcement, I walked down the stairs with Nicky to have dinner.

**OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO**

_A week later_

The screaming in the house is completely out of control. You can't even hear your own thoughts because it's so loud.

Cordy has finally snapped. She can't take Fred anymore. Fred is driving her insane with her over-protectiveness. She was practically hounding her every move.

Things have gotten violent with Wesley. Angel found out about the drinking. He found out after he had sent Wesley to a meeting with a snitch. The snitch called Angel to tell him that Wesley had puked on his shoes and passed out. Angel went ballistic on Wesley, throwing him against the walls, slapping him, even going so far to vamp face and threaten to bite him if he didn't stop.

The others were fighting about things that I didn't even hear about. Lindsey, Connor and Harrison were fighting about the roofing project at Anne's. Lorne was on the phone with a new bartender; let's just say out of the four, this one is the worst. Apparently, the new guy almost burned down Caritas. Lorne was screaming at him to call 911 and put out the fire…screaming "not with water" into the phone before slamming it down to run out the door.

Gunn and Andrea weren't in the house, volunteering to take Nicky and Cathy out for ice cream when the screaming first started. As for me and Faith, things have finally come to a boil. I tried to talk to her, to tell her that I understood. I ended up getting things thrown at me for the effort. I fought back this time, trying to get her to understand. Grabbing her by the arm, she shocked me by punching me in the face hard enough to knock me down. She tried to run away, but I quickly recovered and stopped her. I was trying to be as gentle as I could, but she was fighting me like I was trying to kill her.

Spike jumped in between us, trying to get her to calm down. We were scared that if she didn't calm, she'd go into labor.

It didn't work! It fueled the fire. She started attacking him as well.

The shouting seemed to shake the entire hotel. Words were no longer recognizable; it all became a jumble.

**_LOUD WHISTLE_**

All of us turned to see Trish Burkle pull her fingers from her lips. "Now what it tar-nation is going on in here? You all wouldn't have even noticed if a giraffe walked in here with all that screaming," Roger Burkle drawled.

Fred ran to her parents, "Mom, Dad!" She held them tightly, she cried against them, "I'm missed you so much."

"Well, sweetie, we couldn't wait to see you. Oh, my baby's having a baby." Trish gushed at her daughter. With that being said, Fred lost all semblance of control as she sobbed against her father. Her father tightened his hold around her as he led her to the couch to sit down. Kneeling in front of her, he asked what had happened.

Fred described every detail. How she had gotten shot, how the doctors told her that she couldn't have children anymore, how Cordy agreed to surrogate, and how scared she was of losing her baby, again. Apparently, she also knew about Wesley's drinking and subsequent lack of emotion about the baby that Cordy now carried.

Trish and Roger immediately took control, glaring at Angel for beating Wesley up, instead of getting him "professional help" like them. They led Wesley and Fred into the office for a talk. Before they shut the door, they order all of us to sit down quietly, drink some water and not to talk to each other until told to.

Funny, they made me feel like we should all be sitting in the corner or given demerits or something.

An hour later, Fred and Wesley walked out, their heads in between their legs. Trish walked out, and like a school nurse, called out for Angel and Cordy. Then Lindsey, Connor, and Harrison.

Seemingly taking forever, Faith and I were called into the office. I tried to pull out Faith's chair and was promptly glared at.

Roger sat on Wesley's chair, leaning back with his arms against his stomach. That's my 'principal-is-mad' pose, I thought to myself. "Now, children. Why don't you tell Uncle Roger what's the matter? You know that Trish and I are happy to try to help you. After all, we've been married for close to thirty-five years. Maybe we can give you an insight or somethin'. What're ya'll fighting about?"

Faith just sat there with her arms folded over her belly. I guess it was up to me to talk, "I don't know if you know what a slayer is, do you?"

Trish jumped in, "Actually, we do. After we found out our little Fred was getting into all this vampire and demon work, Roger and I decided to take a class on demonology and myths at the local community college. They have lots of information. Why, we even told them a thing or two about the demons we've seen in L.A."

Roger interrupted, "Trish, they don't wanna hear about that. Let them talk, woman."

"Don't you 'woman', me, Roger Burkle or else--."

"Yes, dear." Roger calmed her, "Now let's get back to your story."

I sat back in my chair, smiling to myself at the Texan couple, as I described our troubles. They both listened intently, even when Faith jumped in to argue with me. It seemed like nothing was getting settled…just more screaming.

Slowly, I stopped fighting and began to listen as the Burkle's were. Faith's shouts were getting louder as she screamed and cried all of her frustrations and fears.

Her fears of the baby becoming like her; becoming a murdering cold bitch. Of her becoming a slayer. Of her destiny, fighting evil. The fear that her daughter would hate her for it.

The words came out in jumbles, tears streaming down my wife's face, but her not willing to stop her litany. Nothing was recognizable anymore. At that point, I stopped her by kneeling down in front of her and holding her against my chest. She just cried. I cried along with her.

The Burkle's had stood up behind us and wrapped their arms around the both of us. Trying to offer comfort. What seemed like hours later, Faith wiped her face and started swearing, "Fucking hormones."

We all laughed together. The room filling with the sound.

"Now see that wasn't so hard, now was it." Trish Burkle boasted proudly, "I knew that you two could do it. Marriage is all about sharing now, Faith. If you're not happy, you have to share that with your husband. If you're mad, share that too. Upset, whatever."

Roger brushed his wife aside, "She's just kidding now Faith. You don't have to share your anger with your old man. Just the happy stuff. Okay?" He got elbowed in the side, "oww."

"Never mind him, now. Why don't ya'll go freshen up? I brought my secret recipe with me and I'm treatin' ya'll to a homemade dinner ya'll never forget. Go on, now." She ushered us out of the office, hand-in-hand with Roger. They stared at each other before kissing gently.

I heard their whispered 'I love yous' before Trish announced her dinner plans.

"Now, I know you girls are all modern and all, but I'm going to make you cook with me. No arguing. Into the kitchen, scoot." She pushed Faith, Fred, and Cordy into the kitchen. Angel chasing after them, telling him that Cordy couldn't cook and that she wasn't allowed to make anything edible. A few seconds later, a loud smack and a chagrinned Angel walked out of the kitchen rubbing at his behind.

"You didn't have to smack me with a dish towel…" Angel muttered under his breath.

Faith pulled me to her so that we were chest to chest. She reached out to touch my face, "I'm sorry, Robin. I didn't realize that I was sliding down that path again. I was just so scared, I wasn't thinking about you or your feelings. Just that my daughter would end up hating me for making her a slayer one day. She'll be okay, right? We'll be good parents to her so she won't feel so out of control. We'll love her and take care of her. Hell, she'll be the most kick-ass slayer the world has ever known. Ya know? Her grandma was a slayer, mommy is a slayer…I'd say she's got rockin' genes. I just never considered the pros of the situation. It'll be okay." She said once again.

"Damn straight, it'll be okay." With that said, I grabbed her for a breath-stopping kiss. She grabbed my butt, pulling me against her. We both started moaning; forgetting that we were in the middle of the hotel lobby.

Splash.

Cold.

Wetness.

We pulled away from each other as Trish splashed us with a pitcher of ice water. "You two, make up in your own time. It's dinner time. No kissin' or hanky-panky in the parlor. Well, what're ya waitin' for, go get dressed for dinner." She commanded.

Doing as we were told, we came down ten minutes later, now dry and dressed for dinner. Gunn, Andrea, and the kids had come back. They were currently being scolded by Trish for eating ice cream before dinner time.

After the "eating good food" lecture, we all sat down for dinner. Trish and Roger were still pretty traditional so we held hands for a prayer.

Roger started the prayer, "Dear God, Powers that Be, who ever else is listening, we're grateful for the gifts you've given us on this day. You've given our dear Fred wonderful friends, a husband and family who love her, and now, we're having a grandbaby. Not the traditional way, but through a woman we are eternally blessed to have in our lives, Cordelia. We also thank you for a long happy marriage and wish the same for the wonderful folks here today. Thank you for blessed little, giggling, children who eat too much ice cream and teenaged boys who argue with their elders. May they one day see the light. Thank you for vampires. Well, I should rephrase that: Thank you for vampires with souls, Karaoke singing demon friends and demon fighters who keep us safe. Thank you all, know let's chow down. Amen." We all wiped at our eyes.

"Amen" We say, before ravaging the endless food in front of us.

I fill a plate for Faith, handing it to her and whispering, "I love you."

She leaned in to kiss me.  
  
Splash

Cold

Wet.

"Didn't you two learn your lesson? My god, I only had to spray down Fred once after I caught her with a boy in the barn. Never caught her doing anything else again. What do I have ta do to get ya two to cool off?" Trish prattled on.

Our son, Nicky spoke up, "You can't do nothin'. Uncle Lorne says that they got magnets in their lips and when they get too close, they have to kiss."

Laughter filled the dinner table. Spike had water squirting out of his nose from laughing so hard. Which made everyone laugh harder.

All was back to normal, I guess. We're one big happy family.

**THE END**

How'd ya'll like that? Read and Review **Thanks for the ideas Lily**.

Next Chapter: Chapter 11: Gunn's POV.

HELP. Just so you know, I'm not really good at writing Gunn. I definitely need ideas for this one. I don't think that Andrea and Gunn should have a baby though. Too many babies already.

I was thinking maybe he could do something with Anne? Maybe to help her get together with Lindsey???

Let me know. I'll take your suggestions into account when writing it.


	12. August Gunn's POV

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: In order to understand why I wrote this chapter like this you have to read the Buffy/Angel Crossover: Seven Crows. It's one of those young adult novels you'll find in every book store. If you haven't read it…I'll give you a summary. Samantha and Riley Finn have ended up trying to find out the reason that people are ending up dead in this really quiet town. Sam decides to call Angel for help, while Riley calls Buffy, not knowing that the other has already made the call. To make a long story short, Angel ends up working with Sam (Sam sort of likes Angel: she kisses him while they're "Undercover.") while Riley works with Buffy as they fight demons, crazy policemen, and awkwardness. They, obviously, beat the bad guys. Sam finds out that she's pregnant in the last chapter, using hormones as an explanation as to why she found Angel to be so sexy. (_As if you needed an excuse to kiss him_.)

**To Imzadi**—I made you a music video. (Lindsey/Anne music video) It's called "The Reason". I know that you'll love it. (You'll find it on my website or if you're interested…I'll email it to you.) I actually had you in my mind when I made it, so I dedicated it to you. It uses all of the things that we talked about when I was writing about Lindsey's redemption. –The NEXT chapter is for you…It's going to be Lindsey's POV. (Any suggestions would be most welcome.)

**To Lily**—Thank you so much for all of your help. I'm writing this because of you and all of your feedback. I hope it's what you expected (and more). Thank you, thank you, thank you for beta'ing my story. I really appreciate it.

Honestly, this was one of the hardest chapters to write…Gunn is a very difficult character in terms of thoughts and speech. Obviously, Gunn thinks very intelligently while his speech is full of tricky nuances, like slang. But as Lily told me, 'use the K.I.S.S method' and don't use too much slang. So here goes nothing. Also: I tried to describe Andrea as best as I can. She's an African American researcher, who worked for the Initiative under Agent Samantha Finn.

**August (Gunn's POV)  
  
**

Prologue:

My mom, when she was still alive, used to say what millions of mom's out there tell their kids… If you keep your mouth open that wide, you'll catch some flies.

Now, I've had some surprises in life: how I ended up working for a vampire is one of them. Though I never thought that my wife, Andrea could surprise me like that.

Damn. I mean, she told me that she used to work for the government as a researcher until they let her go due to suspicions of corruption of the higher ups. But she NEVER, I mean never, told me that she did military research on demons for a secret government agency or that she was like a female James Bond.

I shake my head at the sight in front of me. Secret Agent Sam Finn had her arms wrapped around my baby, screaming about how it's been so long since she's seen her. Andrea's doing that excited girly jumpin' up and down thing.

The woman can kill us without breakin' a nail and she's huggin' my girl. And to top it off, she brought her secret agent husband, Riley Finn, and little boy, Graham.

The little kid's gonna be called a 'cracker' for the rest of his life! What the hell were they thinkin' naming him Graham? _No offense to anyone—I just mean "Graham Cracker" as a joke.Sensue_

I hear a thump behind me, so I turned quick to see Angel drop the ax he held in his hand and Connor bouncing off of his back since he stopped sudden. Spike, who was walking along side Angel, stopped as well. His eyes flicker in amazement, and his mouth has dropped open like mine did earlier, "Soldier Boy? What're you doing here? And you brought the missus and the brat, how sweet. Now what the hell do you want? If you think you're going to a put another chip in my head…I'll kill you. And it'll hurt. So there."

Huh? Spike knows Andrea's old boss? What chips? Why would 'ya put chips in your head? That's nasty. Man, I swear a leprechaun's gonna walk in here in a couple of seconds to do a jig.

Angel shook off his shock and came closer. "Sam? How are you? It's been years!" Then he hugged her.

Angel's hugging a girl that's not Cordy. He's a dead man! If Cordy don't kill him, then I will. Nobody's gonna hurt Cordy and get away with it. Just when I was about to take charge, he pulled away to greet the little kid, patting him on the head. The hubby? was pretty much ignored.

I have no clue what world I've been dropped in. Walking like a drunk towards the couch, I sorta just collapse on it. Lucky that I've got a good sense of surroundings or else I'd have hit the floor with my butt.

Shaking my head, I think back to when this madness all started.

* * *

_Yesterday (7:00 pm)_

"Yo. Hold up Anne! What do you mean that vampires broke in and kidnapped four of your kids?! They got RYAN! SHIT! Where is Lindsey? Wasn't he with you? Those bastards put him in the hospital. He okay? Okay. I'll be right there. Don't worry. Those vamps are gonna wish they'd never come to L.A. Just hold on." I slammed down the phone enraged. Damn vampires got to go and mess everything up.

It's been a while since we had to worry about vampires in L.A. We, Angel Investigations, pretty much took care of them. And anyone stupid enough to actually come to L.A gets beat on by yours truly. Until now…that is. Dumb jerks think that they can just come to town and start a slavery ring with little kids. They're gonna get their asses smacked down.

I hollered for Angel. He's hiding out in the kitchen again, Cordy's mood swings have been driving him crazy. She's been up and down the entire month. One minute she's incredibly happy for the honor of carrying Fred and Wesley's baby, the next she's goin' off about some thing. Anything could set her off, that's why Angel's taken to hiding in the kitchen. He just cooks all day now. Bakes too. Hey, I say she should have another five kids, if Angel keeps up the desert makin'. Best sweet potato pie I've had in years—Hell, if I had almost 250 years on me, I'd know how to cook too. Lucky, Faith got over her mood swing phase pretty quickly this time. They say by the third trimester, the mood swings give in to lots of complaining. Faith's almost gonna pop now. She got bigger than she was with Nicky, again, probably because of Angel's preoccupation with making lots of food.

He came running along with Wesley, Robin, Fred, Spike, and Faith. Connor must've heard me yelling with his vampire senses, and ran down the stairs, dragging Harrison with him. Andrea and Cordy came out from behind the front table to join us, telling Cathy and Nicky to play Candyland™ without them. Once everyone was there, I explained the situation.

"Y'all, will never believe this. You remember Anne telling you about that thirteen-year-old kid? The one the vampires used as a slave-slash-snack? Well, they got into the teen shelter and kidnapped him and three other kids as well as Ryan. They just up and took five kids. Lindsey was there…y'all know how he's been there almost every minute of every day. He tried to stop them and they knocked him out. He's in the hospital, still unconscious. They think he's got a concussion. So we've got to get our asses moving and try to get those kids back."

I stride over to the weapons cabinet to pull out my favorite ax. The others move to do the same. Without words, Angel, Spike, Robin, Wesley, and Fred grab swords and crossbows. Connor and Harrison silently argued with Angel until he nodded that they could come. High-fiving each other, they grabbed weapons and followed us towards the door. Cordy and Faith stay in the hotel with the kids. I had assumed that Andrea would come with us, but she made no move to follow us. Shrugging to myself, I'd find out why she didn't come later.

Right before we all ran out the door, I noticed Andrea pick up the phone. It was only after I had a chance to think about it did I realize that she never dialed a number, she just spoke into the humming line.

_4:45 am_

"Damn it! There's no trace of them. Where the hell did they go with those kids?" I throw one of the ripped pillows lying on the ground against the wall, screaming my frustrations.

Angel went over to Anne and was speaking softly to her as she cried against his shoulder. I heard some of his whispers, "Anne, I'll find them and make them pay. I promise." Mentally, I repeated that vow. Those bastards are gonna die!

The others tried to find clues, find anything really, that would lead us to where those vampires were hiding. I rubbed my palm against my smooth head, wondering if I should call the old gang together. We used to dust the city, literally, finding every vamp nest in L.A. and putting stakes through their hearts. At first, it was for protection, after I'd left to join Angel Investigations, their priorities changed. Now, they'd dust anything, good or evil, just for a kill. With that thought, I'd changed my own mind. The old gang turned bad, we didn't need that on our plates. We just need to find those kids.

Wesley and Spike spoke to the other children, trying to see if they knew anything. Just the way they stood told me that we got nothing! No one knew anything and our two best bets at sniffing those kids out was going down as fast as the sun was coming up. Spike and Angel were going to be homebound in twenty minutes. Fuck! I mean, Connor getting pretty good at sniffing things out, but the kid's still got an attitude problem. He thinks that he knows everything, and that's without Harrison cheering him on. The two of them together are just plain arrogant. They don't listen to anyone or anything and think that they can do whatever they want. At times, we all feel like choking them, like for the stunts they pulled with Lindsey, sneaking around alone. Now they think they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. I remember being like that…then reality and adulthood set in.

It was decided that we would go back to the Hyperion and call our informants to see if anyone knows anything. Maybe we'll luck out and the underground would work in our favor. For the kids' sake.

* * *

_5:15 am_

Exhausted. Yup, that's what I am. Didn't get a wink of sleep and didn't find any clues in order to get those kids back. God, This is bullshit! Why the hell did they have to kidnap five kids? Why not five dogs? Or five pigs? Why kids? Ya know, there are whacked out people in the world who would love to get their blood sucked by vampires; hell, they volunteer for the honor. So why did they have to use kids?

We walked into the Hyperion, feeling defeated. Angel and Spike were pissed off that they couldn't help until the sun went down. Robin had to get ready for work, but promised that he'd keep his ears open for any word. Cordy had called earlier in the morning and let us know that she'd be at the hospital, wanting to know about Lindsey's condition. Faith was probably still in bed, sleeping. The others had left to follow up any leads.

Plopping down on the couch again, I lay back thinking about my little sister, Alonna. Tears leak out the corners of my eyes, which I promptly wipe away. I don't cry; I'm a man. Covering my face with my arm, I hide my expression as I though about the worst day of my life. She was killed and turned by a vampire. And I had to stake the demon who stole her face. She was so young. Damn, we all were. We thought we were gods, when we were nothing. I was nothing; some days I still feel that way. Then I wake up next to Andrea and all I feel is her.

Speak of the devil, as she comes and sits besides me on the couch. I open one eye to peak at her, only to remove my arm and sit up. She looks nervous, picking her nails and sweater. I hold her hands, stopping her from getting nail polish chips everywhere. "What's the matter, baby? You okay?" I ask her, sort of dreading the answer. I don't want no more bad news.

I stare at her as she takes in a deep breath. She ran her fingers down her dark brown hair, her brown eyes closing as she took in another deep breath. Slight beads of sweat appeared on her ebony forehead. "Charles, I have something to tell you."

Okay, now I'm scared. Whenever a woman says, 'I have something to tell you', you know it's gonna be a bitch or possibly the end of the world. Never know how those things work out.

"I called my old boss for help," she blurted out.

It took me a second, blinking back my misunderstanding. "Huh? What? What do mean? Help with what?"

"Help with finding those children, Charles. I called Sam Finn; she was my boss, to help us. She's bringing some of her men with her. Maybe together, we can find the leaders of the ring and permanently put a stop to using children as slaves." She seemed eager for my reaction.

Funny how I didn't have one. "Huh? How is she gonna do that? Is she gonna look up where the kids are in her handy dandy text book and it'll just tell her where they are? 'Cause honestly, Andrea, I don't see how a bunch of paper pushin' government researchers, who probably just research how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie-pop, can help us."

"Charles, I never told you that about the kind of research I used to do. We did experimental research on demons for the US army intelligence agency. It was my job to research demon physiology and psychology for use in aid of their live capture. When we captured them, we were to study their actions, hoping that we could use some of their knowledge to advance mankind. I know all about demons. But you knew that, I mean, when you met me, I was being stalked by them, I just never told you that I'd been stalking them, first in order to learn about their habits."

"What did you just say?" My mouth dropped open, I couldn't believe my ears.

And that ladies and gentlemen is when the bomb dropped.

The Hyperion door opened and Andrea's army friends walked through; Let the insanity begin.

* * *

_Present time  
Read the prologue again if you need to…it jumps right back to the present.Sensue_

Don't really know what happened after that, 'cause I went into this dazed state…ya know like you're outside a window looking in.

Next thin' I knew the door opened again, Cordy walked in with Lindsey. Guy was fallin' all over himself. Cordy had to help him down the stairs, 'cause he wobbled so much. Lindsey had a bruise the size of a large grapefruit over his right temple and he seemed to not even know where he was. Angel immediately ran over to help them both, while Spike went to the kitchen to grab him an ice pack.

I jumped up off the couch, finally something sinking in, as I broke Lindsey's fall toward the couch…instead lowing him down gentle like. Lindsey just slouched over until he was lying down, his hand over his face as he mumbled that he had to find Ryan and the other children. Cordy made him lower his hand, screaming for Spike to get the first aid kit as she saw blood seep down his face. It wasn't the first time the wound had opened, I'd assume, considering that his shirt was almost soaked with blood.

Cordy had gone on to explain that Lindsey had signed himself out of the hospital AMA (against medical advice), refusing to allow the doctor's to stitch his wound closed. He fought them until they let him leave. Cordy had to promise the doctor's to bring him back if showed any signs of severe concussion.

Damn it. "Can anything else happen today? Maybe aliens could crash down to earth?" No one answered me.

* * *

_Noon_

FUCK! Why the hell did I say that? Why did I even think that? Not the alien part, 'cause aliens don't exist. Right? But the 'can anything else happen' part?

Right after I said that Riley Finn decided that he was going to throw a macho trip as he decided that he was going to "lead the investigation." Then he sort of made an enemy of Cordy by suggesting that Spike could've been involved. Said some weird shit about Spike being a DOCTOR? I mean, come-on! The boy ain't that smart.

His wife, of course took his side, which made Andrea take her side. They all just joined together to form a 'task-force.' They called for reinforcements and then changed into civies (civilian clothes) to search the city. Angel and Spike took the sewer route. Then they ordered, yes ordered me, to accompany them and ordered Cordy to watch over their Graham cracker kid and Lindsey. _Again Sorry…Just a joke.—If it offends you, I'll change it. But don't take it too seriously, after all this is fanfiction Sensue._ She almost pulled out her katana sword, but Angel stopped her before she could do them damage.

They were pissing me off. Who the hell did they think they are? This is MY CITY. I know it like the back of my hand. No soldier boy from the hickory hill corn farm is gonna make me look bad in my own city.

So I did what any respectable investigator would do in this situation, I punched the bastard out!

'Course, I was so intent on beating his him up that I didn't see his wife until after she bashed me on the back of the head. After the little birdies flew away, she definitely ripped into us for fighting, especially since there were five scared children out there somewhere, probably screaming for help.

We got our act together after that, working together for the children's sake.

It didn't mean that I couldn't come up with a few good comebacks though as we continued towards the empty, dark underground basement that I knew many vampires used to love residing in. My gang used to come down here during the day and throw in homemade "Firebombs" that would clear out the nest pretty quick. Though, like bees to honey, they'd always come back. I checked out their crib a few times, and I'd have to say, it's a definitely vampire environment. Ya' know, dark, spooky, dirty, bugs all over the place.

If the vamps are hiding anywhere in the city, that would be the place.

It was just the three of us: Me, Riley, and Sam. Sam indicated to Riley he should go around back as they pulled out their guns. I tried to her that guns don't kill vampires…and was promptly corrected as she showed me wooden bullets.

Damn, wish I'd though of that! Guns are easier to find in L.A. than real wood. Usually we just went to the junk yards and found old furniture people had thrown away. Then we'd yank them back to headquarters to grind them down BY HAND. Those stakes took hours to make!

She nodded at me, so I kicked down the door, breaking the rusted out lock and flinging the door open.

It's quiet. I'd say deadly quiet.

Riley flanked my left side as we slowly made our way towards the basement door. He had his gun at the ready, ready to shoot if anyone attacked us.

Me, I had my trusty ax. Never know when you'll need it.

_Bong---_

The sound of flesh hitting metal jarred us as we swung one-eighty degrees.

Riley aimed his gun at the figure hiding behind the sheet metal that seemed to hold up a section of the collapsing wall. "Come out with your hands up!" Riley commanded.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah…and ya better be quick about it too. We don't got time to be wasting. Just come out so we can stake ya and be done wit it."

Surprisingly to me, the man hiding behind the metal wall came out. "Wow. Maybe that cliché of a line actually works, hey, Riley?" What can I say, I can't help myself. The guy is such a poser.

The man came out slowly, with his hands up, like Riley ordered. Though the second I saw his face, I lowered my ax. Of course, Sam chose that exact moment to come crashing in from behind us; immediately started shouting out orders. So getting sick of them!

"Yo, Lindsey. What the hell are you doing here?" Crossing my arms over my chest…god, I've been around Cordy too much…I waited for his answer.

The End.

* * *

Ha Ha.

Left ya hanging.

Hopefully you like this chapter. Like I said, it was a really hard one.

NEXT CHAPTER: Lindsey's POV.

Obviously, he's going to be the one to find the children. ---We finally find out what Lilah threatened him with (Anne/Ryan).

After that…it's up to you and your feedback.

If you have a great idea (Imzadi) just let me know. I'll take them into account when writing the next chapter. Harrison and Connor are going to be in it too. (Maybe they'll help Lindsey move in with Anne.???) Or something.

I do want to end this story. So I can't leave anyone hanging for the last chapter. I need a new story line. No more "This Year." I have another TWO stories (crossovers) in the making, though. We'll see how it works out though. I really want to get back into vidding. (making music videos).


	13. September Lindsey's POV

**RATING: STRONG R **(Child abuse/torture/molestation mentioned vaguely, but not described in detail.) If it's not your cup of tea, please don't read this.

**Summary: **Lindsey regains memories his wishes stayed hidden.

**Author's Note: **Yes, everyone. The time has come. This is the last chapter of "This Year." Thank you for all of your encouragement. I truly appreciate it. It's helped me to become a better writer and I thank you with all my heart for that. But don't be too sad, I'm working on another story as we speak. It's Untitled for now, but I know it's going to be a good one, hopefully. Look for that one in upcoming weeks.

I switched POVs—Instead of first person POV, its third person POV. –Any hoo, Lindsey McDonald, on the show, looks young…about twenty five or something. So, if I continue on the basis that it's about nine years later, Lindsey is, during this time, thirty four years old. So I was thinking…What if?—you'll see what I mean. (See if you can guess who the crazy homeless guy is.)

**"This Year" Chapter 12: September (Lindsey's POV)**

****

**_Prologue _**

The twelve year old boy's bare feet pounded on the pavement. His breath came out in large puffing gasps in front of him, the cold and dampness soaking into his body. Turning into a dark alley, desperately searching for a place to hide. A place where they couldn't find him.

Looking behind himself, he didn't notice the empty wooden box in his path. The edge of the wood banged hard against his knee, knocking him down. His heart pounded in his chest, _they were coming_.

He crawled behind a couple of the metal garbage cans that littered the alley. They ran into the alley, the light coming from the restaurant sign was hidden by the man standing in front of the cans.

The boy stopped breathing. _Please, please don't find me._ He begged in his mind. _Please, don't let them hurt me anymore. _Touching his neck, wet blood still dripping from his fingers. He couldn't tell if it was from his neck or from his torn hands. He assumed it was from his neck. Clamping both hands against the wound, pressing against the cloth ripped from his white undershirt, he tried to stop it from bleeding. Not knowing why he bothered, it would only start up again once they bit him again.

He heard them talking, the men—no, the vampires—they were trying to sniff him out. He laughed in silence; it wouldn't take long for them to find him. If the scent of blood didn't lead them right to him, then the stink of fear would do it.__

Crash

Bang

The thud of bodies hitting the brick walls disrupted the nightly silence. The boy took his life into his hands, as he poked his head out behind the cans. A man, a dirty, homeless man, who wore brown rags, with one hand, staked two vampires in rapid succession. His voice, harsh, spoke with such hatred, "This is my alley! They're my rats! Mine! Not yours, you can't have them!"

The boy was shaking with fear, the homeless man was crazy! Most likely worse than the vampires who had been feeding off of him and using him as a slave for two years. He crawled away before the crazy guy found him. Quiet as a mouse, the boy left the alley, repressing the horrors he had witnessed. Repressing all that he'd gone through.

His bare feet started to bleed against the concrete as he walked, but he never felt it. It hurt, but he never let the pain stop him. As he ran, his life flashed before his eyes: his parents, his drunk father, his mother prostituting herself to pay for drugs, his brothers and sisters, crying for food, for warmth, for love. He'd survived it all for ten years, until his father sold him to the vampires. Tears slipped down his face unnoticed by the mass of people who walked past him, not caring about a homeless boy, not wanting to interrupt their pleasant evening.

Once upon a time, he wished that one day, someone would rescue him from his parents, Superman or Spiderman would leap down from above, grab him and carry him away. To a happy family…to a perfect family. His dream was perverted as the vampires who owned him hurt him even more than his father had. The male vampires just fed off of him and used him as a pack horse, buying them things during the daylight that they couldn't. But it was the female vampire, Lexa, that hurt him in other ways. Vampires were feral creatures who loved to be pleasured like animals. The male vampires used Lexa, but Lexa, she never had enough. Once they were through with their orgy, the boy proved to be her desert.

Shame flushed through the boys cheeks; he angrily brushed the tears away. He wasn't going to let them hurt him anymore. Clenching his fists, he swore that he'd kill the vampires. 

Crash, Bang.

"Ooof…" the boy fell hard against the pavement. The woman he ran into also fell on the ground besides him. She ran a hand through her hair and her dark suit as she pulled herself off the ground. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" She asked, holding out a hand to pull the boy up.

There was no answer, so she looked closer at the bleeding and almost naked child. She became gentle, "My name is Marie Manners. What's yours?"

He just stood there, the tremors shaking his small body. She held out a manicured hand, bending to take the boy's hand. His hand shook, but he grasped the warm hand. Before standing, the woman picked up her dropped briefcase. She walked, hand in hand with the boy towards her office building to make a couple of calls.

As they walked, the lights coming from the streetlight made the gold name plate on the briefcase practically glow.

Wolfram and Hart, it read.

* * *

**_Present Day_**

Lindsey McDonald, once Wolfram and Hart's rising star, now an outcast, ran into the dark alley he hadn't seen in twenty two years. Touching the bricks that once held him captive, he bent down to find the bricks that as a child, he had once pulled loose with his own hands. Willpower was the only thing that had given him the strength to do so, so weak from blood loss.

He was weak now too, the concussion making him see and remember things he didn't want to. He pulled more of the bricks out forcefully, trying to stop from remembering the horrors Lilah's words brought back. "Lexa sends her love…", she whispered in his ear the night she sent the goons at Wolfram and Hart to the Hyperion hotel. No one would ever forget that night—especially Wesley and Fred. Fred almost lost her life that night and the ability to carry her unborn baby, it was a miracle she didn't loose the baby she carried that night; Cordelia choosing to surrogate for them.

Lexa, just her name, sent fear straight to his heart. She—she was the one who had first stole his innocence, and then invited the males to join in on "the fun." He still had scars, on the inside that no one could ever see. He had assumed that she had died. He never, ever considered her to be still alive…going back in his memory, she never chased him that night, sending the lackeys to do it for her. She didn't die. She wasn't staked. Lindsey couldn't believe that he'd blocked it all from his mind.

Lilah, that bitch, how'd she find out? The only one who knew anything was Holland Manners, and he was dead. It was common knowledge that he was poor and lived in lots of foster homes, but no one knew that Holland Manners wife found him almost dead on the streets They were both very kind to him as a child, promising to find a more suitable home for him. Funny how the people who took him in were two faced. On the outside, they were perfect, on the inside, they were sick bastards who loved to hurt him. Every home was worse than the other. The worst was when he was fifteen; his foster father almost killed him one night, putting a knife inside of him after he had pulled out, spent. Blood poured out so fast, he thought he would die. The hospital didn't care, yeah, the doctors could see how someone could fall on a knife that way in the kitchen.

Finally, he ran away from the entire system once he had healed enough to walk. The only thing that had kept Lindsey McDonald alive for those years was his determination, his drive to become the best lawyer in the world. Once he had the power, he'd be able to fit the system that let him down numerous times.

Once he'd graduated law school, Wolfram and Hart practically threw down a red carpet for him. It was like they had been waiting for him to join the company. Holland Manners, was head of the Special Project Division. That was the position he aimed for. He wanted to be able to make a difference.

Wolfram and Hart had seemed like a necessary evil to him. It wasn't like they killed people all the time, just those who stopped them from achieving their goals.

Amazingly, it didn't take long to be transferred to Holland's division, where he met Lilah Morgan. The woman was almost pure evil. He'd heard stories about her mentally ill mother, that she suffered from memory loss…but couldn't believe that Lilah wasn't hatched.

He had become disillusioned; when was he going to rid the world of vampires? He often spoke with Holland about it, until one day, Holland let him in on one of his personal special projects. Angel, the vampire with a soul, the prophecy that he would be the main figure in the upcoming apocalypse, no one knowing if it was on the side of good or evil. He was a vampire; so he was going to guess Evil. He had been living on the hellmouth, but was constantly watched.

Three years later, while Lindsey was batting heads with Lilah to make Junior Partner, and meeting with Russel Winters, a prominent client, Angel came bursting in and truly made his client "see the light." From that moment, he had battled to ruin Angel's life.

Never once believing that he would be back where he started…with nothing. No name, no home, no money, no law degree, and living only on the mercy shown by Angel, his family, and his friends. And cursed by a prophecy that he had never known about. He shook his head at it, how was the prophecy supposed to come true when Connor Angel, Angel's son, no longer trusted him. Sure, they still fought together, but Connor no longer held him in confidence as he used to.

He'd lost so much, funny how it no longer mattered to him. Anne, the beautiful, caring woman who ran a teen shelter changed it all for him. In her, he found love. Her adopted son, Ryan, was an added bonus. The little boy was a ball of sunshine, no matter how you felt, he'd warm your heart and soul the moment you saw him.

Lindsey was so taken with the woman, that he'd volunteered himself to fix her roof. She never complained that he was taking too long…she knew that he was moving slowly on purpose, so that they could spend more time together. He was falling in love with both of them. Anne had just asked him to move in with her and Ryan, when Ryan and four other children had been kidnapped.

The moment he saw her—Lexa—He froze, unable to move, to speak, anything. Dressed in a suit, along with more dressed up goons, she had convinced one of the children to invite her in to the shelter. Once in, she grabbed the small girl who had let her in. Their true faces revealed as the four goons each grabbed a child, one of them Ryan. Screams, panic, terror filled the small shelter.

He finally reacted. Pulling out a stake, he rushed towards the vampire who grabbed Ryan. The vampire threw Ryan aside, the boy's head hitting the edge of the end table, knocking him unconscious, as he growled at Lindsey. Giving him a toothy smile, the vampire jumped, quickly sweeping him off the ground. Lindsey hit the ground hard, but pulled himself up before the vampire could kick him. Grabbing the end of the table, he threw the entire table against the vampires face.

Not noticing the activity behind him, Lindsey was caught unaware as Lexa butted his head through the glass window.

Everything faded to black.

* * *

Hours later, the doctors released him from the hospital against medical advice. Cordelia Chase-Angel, Angel's wife, had pulled her weight in getting him released, as he begged for her to.

The concussion made everything very confusing. He remembered entering the Hyperion, he remembered seeing soldiers in the hotel…remembered his trek from the hotel to the alley he'd hid in as a child, but time seemed to go slow for him.

Finally, the last piece of brick fell to the ground. Lindsey had space to crawl through to the inside of the warehouse. Looking around, everything seemed small than what he remembered. He saw the wall he'd been leashed to. The metal cans he had rested his head against and the pile of oily cloths that had served as a bed.

He walked around; the past memories collided with the present, until he no longer knew where or WHEN he was.

"Yo, Lindsey. What the hell are you doing here?" Gunn's voice rang out, echoing through the warehouse. Gunn stood in front of him, arms crossed over his chest. One of the soldiers held a gun on him, yelling at him to freeze. Gunn glared at the man, then shouted at Lindsey to duck.

Instinctively, he reacted, pulling his head down before the female soldier bashed his skull in with the end of her weapon. "Riley! Sam! Stop!" Gunn yelled, "He's on our side!"

Gunn rushed over to Lindsey's side, keeping him from collapsing. He pushed the hair out of Lindsey's face, to look into his eyes. "What are you doing here, man? You should be in the hospital."

Blinking back, Lindsey whispered, "I know where the kids are. They're here! I know they are."

Agent Sam Finn, first apologized, then whispered back, "No…There's no one in the building. We already checked it."

"No, the vampire's nest is below the building. There's a sewer access behind the stairwell. It's hidden, to keep people from falling. They live in the sewer. They have a kennel area where they keep the kids during the day while they sleep." They all looked incredulous, but for the sake of five children, were willing to put aside their disbelief.

Riley Finn took point as he led them towards the stairwell. Gunn came up from behind him to pull at the hidden lever that opened the sewer access. It opened with a whoosh.

They went down the stairs quietly, completely on alert and ready for battle. It was dark, smelly, damp, and dirty. No human could live like that. The cavernous sewers seemed to go on forever. Lindsey, who seemed subdued and almost upset to the others, stepped forward, ahead of Riley. Riley tried to pull him back, but Lindsey pulled out of his grip, not willing to be held back.

Suddenly, Lindsey stopped, looked around, then without waiting for the others, ran towards tunnel that the vampires nest was located. The others ran after him. No longer was it quiet. Thundering footsteps alerting the vampires that their hideout was discovered and about to be invaded.

The vampires attacked at first sight without hesitation. Gunfire raged like a thundering volcano. Gunn, Riley, and Sam fought the vampires, staking them quickly. Gunn's ax slashed through the air, taking off heads, and leaving behind dust particles. At first, the vampires laughed at the guns pointed at them, didn't the stupid humans know only wood killed a vampire? The laughing soon turned to cutoff screams as they burst into dust as wooden bullets ripped them apart.

Meanwhile, Lindsey, in a trance-like state, walked over towards the back of the tunnel where he knew the kennels were kept. The sounds of the children crying jarred him from the trance as he sprang into a run.

It was a sight that would be permanently burned into Lindsey McDonald's mind. Two children, already dead, were just thrown in the corner of the kennel with the remaining three children. Ryan held the small little girl, her name was Sara, he remembered, in his bruised arms. The little girl stared blankly, the shock evident in her small face. The other little boy, Christopher, sat in his own urine, rocking back and forth crying.

Lindsey stood for a moment in staring in horror. Then he shook his head free of the memories, moving towards the lock on the kennel. The children didn't even know that he was there, just stared in shock.

The lock was quickly picked open. Lindsey pulled Christopher up in his arms. It was only then did Ryan notice him. Giving them all a gentle smile that he didn't feel, he took Ryan's hand and pulled him up off of the ground. Sara was pulled up as well, still in Ryan's arms. "It's alright. I'm here to save you," he whispered gently.

Lindsey took the children through the same tunnels he himself had escaped through, took them past the battle the others were waging on the vampires, and towards the hole he had created from pulling the bricks. He lifted Sara through first, then Ryan. Christopher was lifted next as the other children quickly crawled through.

It was still dark outside, but the scent of freedom, of fresh air had left them feeling a little better. Lindsey crawled in through after them. The children stood in the alley, waiting for their savior to come out after them.

"Ahh." Lindsey screamed. Someone had grabbed him. Hearing the children scream in response, he yelled at them to run.

Kicking at the arm that had grabbed his leg, he pulled himself through the hold faster than he thought possible. The arm still tried to grab him. He'd heard it come after him. "Bring back those kids!" The female voice rang out in the night air harshly.

Lindsey froze, it was that voice, the same voice that commanded him to move harder, faster, and slower. That hit him and sucked off of him, mostly blood. "Lexa," he whispered, fear evident in his voice.

In the dark alley, her vampire visage seemed to glow. Her teeth even larger than he remembered. She turned her head, looking more closely at Lindsey. "I know you, boy. Ahh. You were one of my best. Definitely the one I kept the longest. I always wondered about you." With an evil smile, she spoke, "You know, I never thanked Holland Manners for introducing me to your parents. The Wolf, Ram, and Hart were always so good to me, but, honestly, you were the best slave they ever sold me. Too bad he died. A shame. The ones sold to us now are worthless. Two of them didn't even survive the first bite. Well, at least, I have you to make up for letting the others escape. Do you still remember us all together? You could've gone on forever, we would've, except all the screaming got old."

Crawling away from her, there seemed to be no escape. The memories flooded uncontrollably. Screaming for help, he fought as she grabbed him, straddling her hips against his. Vampire strength kept him in place as she took his mouth in hers. Lexa forced her tongue into his mouth as she rubbed against him.

She wasn't letting him draw breath, clouds filling up his vision, as he fought her, desperate to breathe.

The weight was removed as Lexa roared at Angel. Taking in gasping breaths, he watched as Angel moved fluidly, blocking her attacks and launching into his own offensive. They seemed to fight for ages as the garbage cans were picked up and thrown at the other. Lexa had kicked Angel against the brick wall. She tried to flee the alley, but was no match for Angel's flying stake—remembering when Connor had excited shown him the weapon he had learned to make in Quar'toth. Lexa burst, the only thing remaining was her dust.

Lindsey sagged against the wall. Angel had run over to check on him, concerned for the safety of the newest member of his team. Angel shouted for Cordy, who had gathered the kidnapped children against her chest as she came over. Kneeling besides him, Cordy checked his pulse and looked into his, now, unconscious eyes.

Angel picked him up gently, placing him over his shoulder as he walked with Cordy and the children back to his car. Gunn, Sam, and Riley waiting in the truck besides the car.

Angel looked back at the alley, he shook his head at the bad memories. Cordy, noticing his expression, asked, "Angel, what's wrong?"

Lovingly, he smiled at his wife, "Nothing. Just a memory."

"Of what?" She asked.

Angel rolled his eyes, his wife was stubborn, she wouldn't let it go until she knew. "Before I met Whistler…I used to live in this alley. I used to sit in that corner," he pointed, "and wait for the rats to come for the food in the garbage cans. I used to fight for this alley. Vampires kept trying to eat my rats. It was annoying, so I kicked their asses.—That's all."

Cordy shook her head at him, "Yeah, right, Angel. That's all." She kept her voice light and airy. Like she didn't have a concern in the world. The children liked that as they hid their heads on her chest.

They rode in the car in silence, Angel driving towards the local hospital and occasionally checking the unconscious passenger. The rear view mirror had its use as Angel watched his wife whisper sweet nothings at the traumatized children who held her like a lifeline.

**_Epilogue (Two Months Later)_**

****

Harrison and Connor grunted as the lifted up the heavy boxes into Anne and, now, Lindsey's bedroom. The boys complained endlessly that it wasn't fair…they had just moved Lindsey and Anne into the Hyperion and now the McDonald's had to move them back to the teen shelter…during the day no less.

"Wish they would just make up their minds." Connor grumbled as he lifted up a desk chair. Harrison nodded in agreement.

"Oh…and don't ya just love how they just up and got married, without us. 'Yeah…we're just going on a mini-vacation, you know, spend some time together in Las Vegas.' Yeah, right. And then come back married. Well, at least, Ryan's on top of the world right now. The kid's been so depressed, after what happened and now, he's got his dream come true: a real mom and dad." Harrison explained. "He's bouncing up and down. Look at him."

He was indeed jumping up and down, hugging Lindsey's legs as they laughed together.

Connor plopped on the couch they had just moved to the center of the room. "I'm so glad that Lindsey is doing better. God, I can't believe that he lived through that. Wolfram and Hart bartered the deal that sold him to that vampire. They bartered all of the deals. He never knew, even when he worked for them…at least, he wasn't a part of that. We can be glad about that, 'cause I think that my dad would've killed him for sure."

Harrison sat on the arm of the couch next to Connor, "Your dad would've put him out of his misery for sure. Never mind what Cordy would've done. Your mom can kick some serious ass when she's pissed off. Funny, because you'd never guess that of her when she's being…I don't know 'mom-like.' I was seriously thinking she was going to adopt Christopher and Sara. She didn't want to let them go. Luckily, Anne found that great family to take them both. Even Cordy didn't complain after she saw that they'd be happy with that family."

"I don't know…maybe its hormones. That's what mom keeps saying, especially after she does something weird. Boy, Harrison, let me tell you, I can't wait for Fred's babies to be born. Then we'll have THREE screaming infants waking us up in the middle of the day." Connor rubbed a hand against his face, his sarcasm was dry and sounded bored.

Lindsey had picked Ryan up off of the ground and was spinning him around like an airplane making the whooshy noises.

"Yeah…Baby Kara _(Faith's baby girl)_ sure isn't like Nicky. Nicky's so quiet. Kara, definitely isn't. How do Faith and Robin ever get any sleep?"

"Oh, yeah, Harrison. Like they ever slept to begin with. My mom says they have a 'healthy marriage.' I just hope they don't have another baby so soon, the way they're going at it." Connor picked at the brown couch, throwing his head back against the cushions.

"Harrison! Connor! Who told you that you could take a break? Move it. We've got boxes to unpack." Cordy's voice resounded through the new upstairs apartment that was reconstructed on to the teen shelter. The boys groaned as they stood up, picking up the couch to move it where Anne directed them.

Angel, Wesley, Spike, Gunn, and Robin were in the bedrooms painting and hammering in shelves. Cordy and Anne were the "supervisors" as Lindsey titled them. "Pregnant women are NOT allowed to move a finger." He said this as he kissed his new bride on the lips. She smiled at him as he leaned over to kiss her belly.

Harrison huffed at him, mockingly, "Pregnant women aren't allowed to move a finger...Yeah, I don't see you moving a finger, Lindsey." That earned him a smack in the head by Cordy, who had ears like a hawk. Fred giggled at that, but put a hand against her waist, the other hand pointed towards the back wall.

"Fred," Cordy turned towards her, "Are you hungry? 'Cause I'm craving a pineapple pizza, right now."

"Oh…my god. That sounds wonderful. You know what else; we could put tuna on top. Oh…and tacos, I need tacos." Fred babbled. "Wesley," she yelled, "Could you please get us food? The babies are hungry."

Wesley came over, half of him was covered in paint. "Um, Fred. Do you need it right now? Because you just ate a half hour ago and I'm covered in paint."

Fred was outraged, "Wesley, Cordy and I are pregnant. That means, when we want food now, we want food now. I mean, look at Angel. He's always in the kitchen making us yummy food. What are you doing? Oh…yeah, researching."

The argument raged on until Wesley, covered in purple paint, left to buy her the fourth lunch of the day, complaining that she ate too much, but secretly loving the fact that his wife was pregnant with _their miracle child_. And the doctor's were so sure that she'd never have a baby again. What those doctors didn't know was that when you have a witch in the family, the word "never" becomes non-existent.

Connor laughed under his breath at Wesley. Poor guy thought that his mom was moody, but Fred was blowing mom out of the water. He never thought that he'd have one child, never-the-less two of them within three months. (Cordy's is the surrogate of Fred and Wesley's baby…and now Fred's pregnant too, three months later.)

Of course, Angel and Spike had to have one of their legendary arguments that ended up with a broken window.

All in all, things were back to normal at Angel Investigations. It just got a lot bigger.

**THE END**

**How'd you like it???**

**Okay, I lied. It's not the end. I've already written a new story, I call it: "Extreme Makeover: Angel Edition." (Chapter One: Now Posted.)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Angel: the series, Tru Calling, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. SO WISH I DID!!!! Then I wouldn't have to go crazy writing, I could just tell people what I wanted and they'd do it for me.

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